A new book celebrates travel’s golden age, from the hot air balloon and the spaceship.
Francisca Matteoli’s Extraordinary Voyages tells 50 stories about extraordinary travels from all over the globe in the middle of the 19th century and early 20th centuries. It covers a wide range of transportation, including motorcycles, cruise liners, and other modes of transport.
This period was characterized by innovation, exploration, and the start of the democratization of travel.
The privileged upper class and adventurers could no longer travel to distant lands. Anyone can now see the globe by plane, boat or plane.
Louis Vuitton collaborated on the book. Many of the photos show stylish travelers with their LV monogrammed luggage.
Louis Vuitton was founded in Paris 1854 as a trunk manufacturer. It has enjoyed an extensive and varied history. Today, it’s a renowned fashion and accessories brand loved by millions all over the globe.
Extraordinary Voyages is brought to life with more than 300 historical photographs and ephemera from Louis Vuitton’s official archives, from luggage tags to inventions.
FEMAIL presents a collection of some of the most beautiful images…
Pioneer! American actress, Miss Elinor, Blevins, pictured in front of her racecar in Washington, D.C., 1915. It is one of the stunning images featured in the stunning photo book Extraordinary Voyages, by Francesca Matteoli for Louis Vuitton
All aboard! All aboard!
All the way up! Photographer Thérèse Bonney snapped this photo of a woman in front of an Imperial Airways London flight in 1927
The seven seas: Sail! Passengers in swimwear luxuriate on board the SS Rex, a transatlantic ocean liner, in 1934
In the unknown: A group of tourists take a break from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the stunning views aboard a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords during the 1930s.
Luxury travel: A French Lines shipping company luggage tag, from 1920–30, which would have been added to bags
The world is your view: Jean du Taillis’ car, a French journalist, was loaded on a ferry to Djerba in south Tunisia in 1932.
Historical: After a maiden test flight at Friedrichshafen (Germany), in May 1936, the LZ 129 Hindenburg aircraft lands.
Invention: Jean Vuitton’s Vuitton II is operated by a man. The Vuitton II was designed with two propellers and has been used in inventions since 1910.
Air travel around the globe: Dewoitine De.338 flew from Europe to Hong Kong during the 1930s
Extraordinary Voyages, by Francisca Matteoli for Louis Vuitton, is published by Abram Books in the UK, £55