This original poster, a lithography printed by Océa in 1938 and entitled "Europe-Orient-Extrême-Orient" was designed by Ray Bret Koch (1902-1996). It depicts a Dewoitine D.338 airliner, the latest addition to the Air France fleet and a symbol of the Europe-Asia route. Twenty or so stopovers were required to reach Saïgon - now Ho Chi Minh City - or Hanoi. The artist seems to have chosen India as inspiration based on the Mahout’s (in Sanskrit) - or Cornac (in Portuguese), Pahan (in Tamil) - clothing. However, he seems oblivious to the anatomic distinction between the African or Asian elephants, judging by the size of the ears he gave the animal. The vintage poster highlights such exotic names as Jask on the Gulf of Oman in Iran, or Akyab, now known as Sittwe in Myanmar. Air France would also stop in the Greek islands of Corfu and Castelrosso. Thanks to the Sykes-Picot Agreement, French and British allies could follow the Silk Road almost without ever leaving their combined Empires.