Vintage advertisement posters are much sought after, and have been recognized for their artistic merit as well giving us a chance to look at days gone by. There have even been dedicated exhibitions of such posters in art museums. I like these nostalgic images and will post a few grouped per theme. Today's theme is "bicycles" (most have been take from the wonderful blog Arts and Artists). The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.
Terrot Bicycles (around 1890)
This
must be one of the most bizarre vintage bicycle advertisement posters
I've ever seen. Francisco Tamango designed this nightmare scenario of a
girl on a bicycle, for some reason riding on a railroad track through a
tunnel with the train rapidly approaching... The company must have liked the concept a lot though, since they used it for similar posters in the following years.
Perfecta Bicycles (1902)
Here we have the master of Art Nouveau himself, Alphonse Mucha. Not his most famous creation, but one recognizes his hand immediately.
Clement Bicycles (around 1910)
This poster was created by René Leverd. Interest in all things Asian, especially Japanese, was at an all-time high in France at the time. Even so, it is difficult to rationalize why the suggestion that Japanese women rode the bicycles of this brand would entice French customers to buy them.
Céler Bicycles (around 1910)
In comparison to the previous poster, this one from the same year seems much more to the point - a family outing on bicycles through the beautiful Apls landscape. It was designed by Louis Brau.
Pirelli tires (1913)
Bicycle posters were not just used to sell bicycles - here we have a famous tire company advertising their product. It is also an early example of using bicycle races in posters. The design is by S. C. Bailie.
Dunlop tires (1914)
A poster for Dunlop tires that is great to look at, but in questionable taste: the start of the Great War is used to promote tires - showing that the bicycle frame is destroyed by enemy action, but the tires are still OK.
Michelin tires (1920)
The famous Michelin Man cannot be left out of today's post. It is remarkable (for 21st century eyes) that he smokes cigarettes or cigars in almost every poster.
Météore Bicycles (1920s)
Back to selling bicycles. I picked this one because of its strikingly different colours. It was designed by Edouard Courchinoux.
Adler Bicycles (1920s)
Although most of the interesting bicycle posters are for French companies, here we have one from Germany with a typical flapper girl to catch the eye of the potential customers.
Guiller Frères Bicycles (1920s)
This is such a fun poster that I had to include it - maybe the first one that includes the visual gag of using bicycle wheels as eyes. It is by Edouard Courchinoux.
Griffon Bicyles (1926)
We are now definitely entering the Art Deco style. This beauty is by famous designer Georges Favre.
Peugeot Bicycles (1928)
As the French lines says "a Peugeot rolls well". The poster is vintage Art Deco, striking in its lack of colours. like the previous one it was designed by Georges Favre.
Copyright statement: posting lower quality vintage advertisement posters is deemed fair use.
