Orient-Express & Co.: Unseen Archives of a Mythical Train

Edited by Eva Gravayat and Arthur Mettetal

Published as part of the Rencontres d’Arles by Editions Textuel, 2020

Graphic design: Agnès Dahan Studio

French/English

27 x 24.5 cm, 160 p.

“Operating from 1883 to 1977, the Orient-Express connected Paris to Constantinople—now Istanbul—as the first of a series of transnational luxury trains run by the Compagnie Internationale des wagons-lits (International Sleeping-Car Company). A technical prowess, its launch was also a diplomatic and economic tour de force. Based on the company’s photographic archives, this book presents a wealth of valuable documents, many of which are made public for the first time. This exceptional iconographic fund offers a rereading of the industrial history of the Orient-Express, which has kindled the imagination of countless artists and writers under the spell of Orientalism. While Agatha Christie’s famous novel, Murder on the Orient Express (1934), elevated the train to mythological status, looking behind the scenes of its day-to-day operation reveals an equally fascinating world, from the kitchens, workshops, and laundries to the majestic sheds where the trains stand ready to go.” (Catalogue blurb)

I translated all the texts from French to English.

(Photo: Fabienne Nury pour Agnès Dahan Studio)