Emil Cardinaux’s Rhätische Bahn, Graubünden, Schweiz, Silsersee, Oberengadin, created in 1916, presents Lake Sils as a sequence of emphatic, interlocking forms: turquoise water, dark conifers, rust-purple mountains and a pale, clouded sky. Although commissioned to promote a railway route through Graubünden, the poster contains no locomotive, track or station. Instead, Cardinaux makes the destination itself the argument for travel, giving the Upper Engadine landscape a scale and clarity capable of commanding attention from a distance.

Cardinaux was a defining figure in the early visual language of Swiss tourism. His work combined modern poster design with the lucidity and monumentality associated with the Bern School, reducing complex scenery to broad colour masses without sacrificing its geographical character. Here, that economy serves both landscape and advertisement: the Silsersee appears serene yet expansive, while the bold lettering below anchors the Alpine panorama to the Rhätische Bahn. The poster belongs to a period when railways were making mountain regions increasingly accessible and promotional art played a central role in shaping how travellers imagined Switzerland.

A closer look

The view is constructed in distinct layers. At the lower left, a rocky bank enters the composition with angular, closely described surfaces; opposite it, a dense stand of deep green pines rises from the lower right, forming a dark frame around the lake. Between them, the water opens into a broad blue-green passage that carries the eye towards the distant shore. Small interruptions across its surface—reflections, shadows and island-like forms—prevent this central expanse from becoming merely decorative.

Beyond the lake, the mountains rise in earthy reds, mauves and muted violet, their weight intensified by the flatter, cooler colour of the water below. Snow remains on the highest peak, where a bright crest is sharply set against the darker rock face. Farther ranges become softer and less distinct, creating atmospheric depth beneath a light blue sky veiled by grey cloud. Cardinaux’s simplification is carefully judged: the forms are broad enough to read immediately, yet subtle tonal changes preserve the impression of recession, weather and immense distance.

The typography forms a second, deliberately ordered landscape at the foot of the design. “Rhätische Bahn” appears in the largest and heaviest type, followed by “Graubünden Schweiz” and the more specific destination, “Silsersee Oberengadin”. This descending hierarchy moves from railway to region to lake, turning practical information into an integral part of the composition. The cream-coloured border further contains the scene, sharpening the contrast between the cool Alpine palette and the dark, declarative lettering.

Context and significance

Early twentieth-century travel posters had to work quickly: they competed for attention in stations and public spaces, where a complicated view could easily lose its force. Cardinaux answers that problem through compression rather than spectacle. Geological textures, woodland and shifting Alpine light are translated into clear silhouettes and controlled blocks of colour. The result retains the authority of a painted landscape while functioning with the directness of graphic design.

The choice to omit the machinery of travel is particularly effective. The Rhätische Bahn is presented not through engineering but through access—the promise of reaching a remote lake enclosed by high mountains. That balance between information and longing helps explain the poster’s enduring appeal: it is at once a concise railway advertisement, a carefully organised study of Swiss topography and an assured example of how modern design could turn a particular place into a memorable public image.

Choosing the right size and finish

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The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.