Thursday, October 8, 2015

25 Posters - The Art and evolution of the Aviation Poster 1909 -1969

Port-Aviation / Grande Quinzaine de Paris. 1909

RAYMOND TOURNOD Size: 46 3/4 x 62 7/8 in./118.5 x 159.5 cm Affiches E. Bougard, Paris "The propellers had scarcely stopped turning at the world's first great aviation meet at Rheims in August 1909, when an October Fortnight was held at the town of Juvisy's self-styled Port-Aviation some nineteen kilometers south of Paris. Shown in this poster are a high-winged, two-seater Blériot Model XII monoplnae, similar to the machine its inventor had piloted in the first Gordon Bennet race at Rheims six weeks previously, and an early-model Wright biplane preparing to take off. Advertised were several Grands Prix, including those offered by the Paris Municipal Council and the Society for the Encouragement of Aviation. A prize was also offered for slow flying. Public interest in the events was overwhelming. Such enormous crowds engulfed the suburban railway system that at one point the trains broke down" 

Dimensions: 46 3/4 x 62 7/8 in./118.5 x 159.5 cm

Grande Semaine d'Aviation / Rouen. 1910

GEORGES VILLA (1883-1965) Size: 36 7/8 x 51 in./93.7 x 129.7 cm Imp. Emile Wolf, Rouen "Rouen displayed more than one poster to publicize its June meeting of 1910. In addition to the better known version of a pilot saluting the saints as he rounds the city's famous cathedral, there was this striking portrayal by respected artist Georges Villa of what one may assume to be the Spirit of Flight, a robed female figure spreading her wings in emulation of a speeding monoplane. There was no need to remind spectators of the historical significance of Rouen. It was here that Joan of Arc was burned at the stake by the English in 1431"). It's also interesting to note that while the organizers of the event shortened its length, starting it on the nineteenth rather than the sixteenth of June (see subsequent Lot), this poster fails to note that change which appears on nearly all other known examples.

Dimensions: 36 7/8 x 51 in./93.7 x 129.7 cm

Grande Semaine d'Aviation. 1910

CHARLES RAMBERT (1867-1932) Size: 36 x 51 1/8 in./91.5 x 129.7 cm Imp. Girieud, Rouen "Organized by the city of Rouen, and financed by the Ligue Nationale Aérienne, the newspaper L'Auto, and the Automobile Club de Normandie, this meet took place on the Rouvray parade ground, following the Budapest international air show and the third Port-Aviation show. Fifty thousand spectators attended the Great Aviation Week of Rouen, with its two-mile circuit, to watch a dozen monoplanes and as many biplanes compete in the now classic disciplines: speed, altitude, and flight duration. The air show's prizes totaled 200,000 francs (150,000 francs according to the posters). The air show was dominated by a talented young man, Léon Morane, who won all of the events, while Marcel Hanriot, Europe's youngest aviator, was making his debut".

Dimensions: 36 x 51 1/8 in./91.5 x 129.7 cm

Semaine d'Aviation de Lyon. 1910

CHARLES TICHON Size: 47 1/4 x 62 3/4 in./120 x 159.4 cm Imp. Emile Pécaud, Paris "Organized by the city of Lyon, the Aéro-Club du Rhône, and the Automobile Club Rhône in Bron . . . the Great Aviation Week took place in front of one hundred thousand spectators, but was hampered by other meets taking place at the same time in Vienna, Berlin, Odessa, and Budapest, not to mention the poor weather conditions". None of the rain and wind that plagued the event are present in this grandiloquent Tichon design, overflowing with the hope and fascination attached to the newfound technology.

Dimensions: 47 1/4 x 62 3/4 in./120 x 159.4 cm

Grande Quinzaine D'Aviation. 1910

ANONYMOUS Size: 29 1/2 x 41 1/8 in./75 x 104.5 cm Imp. Dondé Frères, Paris "During the Le Havre air show, which took place ... at the same time as the meet in Deauville-Trouville, Léon Morane ... was not at his best, winning only the altitude event. He climbed up to 7,054 feet, as measured with a barograph aboard a balloon flying at 6,693 feet. It was the new world record ... The organizers managed advertising savings by grouping the Le Havre air show with the one in Deauville-Trouville on the same poster as the Great Aviation Fortnight").

Dimensions: 29 1/2 x 41 1/8 in./75 x 104.5 cm

Semaine d'Aviation / Nantes. 1910

ANONYMOUS Size: 39 x 74 3/8 in./99 x 189 cm Imp. Gvéneux, Nantes This never-before-seen two sheet design announces the Nantes Air Show of 1910. Prominently displayed is the Antoinette monoplane flown by René Thomas, who would famously participate in the first mid-air collision two months later.

Dimensions: 39 x 74 3/8 in./99 x 189 cm

Flers-Aviation. 1911

ANONYMOUS Size: 47 x 63 in./119.3 x 160 cm Imp. Folloppe, Flers-Argentan This undocumented early aviation poster announces a three-day airmeet in the northwestern French commune of Flers. Monoplanes and biplanes piloted by seasoned aviators Bathiat, Molla, and Visseaux will perform various feets during the day, while the evenings will be filled with a grand ball.

Dimensions: 47 x 63 in./119.3 x 160 cm

4eme Exposition de la Locomotion Aerienne. 1912

GEORGES DORIVAL (1879-1968) Size: 45 3/4 x 61 in./116 x 155 cm Atelier Geo Dorival, Paris By 1912, the public fascination with air shows was on the decline -- advertisers had to create newer, more spectacular draws to attract the crowds of just three years prior. Here, Dorival showcases two Bleriot-style aircrafts hovering over the ever-familiar Parisian landscape, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame protruding into the clouds in the background.

Dimensions: 45 3/4 x 61 in./116 x 155 cm

Aviation St Amand-Montrona. ca. 1915

R. TOUGERE Size: 47 x 62 3/4 in./119 x 159 cm Imp. Pivoteau, Saint-Amand This brightly-hued poster is as humorous as it is rare, with an aggresive pilot gesturing rudely to some annoyed eagles to get out of his way. The event advertised is a three-day airmeet in August, featuring everything from a nighttime air show, to a bicycle race, to a "battle" featuring flowers and confetti.

Dimensions: 47 x 62 3/4 in./119 x 159 cm

Exposition Internationale Locomotion Aérienne. 1919

DOMINIQUE CHARLES FOUQUERAY (1872-1956) Size: 31 1/4 x 47 1/4 in./79.2 x 120 cm Imp. Lapina, Paris The Sixth Paris Air Show was the first to occur after the end of World War I, having been on hiatus since 1913. This poster presents a solid sense of nationalism celebrating the recent victory, a trumpeting embodiment of the French people heralding in the now-peaceful developments in aviation.

Dimensions: 31 1/4 x 47 1/4 in./79.2 x 120 cm

Aéro Club de Belgique. 1922

ANTO-CARTE (Antoine Carte, 1886-1954) Size: 28 3/8 x 46 in./72 x 117 cm Originally printed with text thanking military pilots who died in World War I, this Neo-Classically inspired image shows off the nude body of Mercury and his caduceus hailing a Farman-Goliath monoplane.

Dimensions: 28 3/8 x 46 in./72 x 117 cm

Gde. Semaine Aéronautique / Nice. 1922

E. BELLANGER Size: 30 x 42 1/4 in./76 x 107.4 cm Cornille & Serre, Paris A charming railway advertisement promoting travel to a lavish air meet in Nice. Featured are a variety of war heroes, including René Fonck (noted as top Allied fighter ace at the end of WWI), Willy Coppens (Belgium's leading aerialist and champion balloon buster of WWI), Charles Nungesser (French rival of Charles Lindbergh), Henri Farman, Joseph Sadi Lecointe, Gilbert Sardier, Lucien Bossoutrot, and Gustave Douchy.

Dimensions: 30 x 42 1/4 in./76 x 107.4 cm

Coupe Gordon Bennett. 1922

H. LOUTAN Size: 34 7/8 x 50 3/8 in./88.7 x 128 cm Affiches Sonor, Geneve Started in 1906, the Gordon Bennett Cup is the world's oldest hot air balloon race. The 1922 meet marked the second time the event was held in Switzerland, and resulted in Ernest Demuyter and Alexander Veenstra of Belgium taking home the grand prize.

Dimensions: 34 7/8 x 50 3/8 in./88.7 x 128 cm

Air Fleet. 1925

ANONYMOUS Size: 27 1/2 x 41 1/2 in./69.8 x 105.4 cm This straightforward Soviet design promotes Air Fleet magazine. In the side columns, the reader is told that the monthly publication will be no less than five typed pages with 25 illustrations, and will be suitable for all types of aviation enthusiasts. For a mere three roubles and 80 kopeks per year, one will also receive a free poster, collection of postcards, and a children's aviation story.

Dimensions: 27 1/2 x 41 1/2 in./69.8 x 105.4 cm

Vers le Tchad. 1925

ROGER SOUBIE (1898-1984) Size: 47 1/2 x 62 3/4 in./120.5 x 159.3 cm Imp. Duval, Paris Directed by Maxime Dely, Vers le Tchad is a documentary chronicling the journies of Roland Garros and Jean Casale as they travel 15,000 kilometers from Paris to Chad by plane.

Dimensions: 47 1/2 x 62 3/4 in./120.5 x 159.3 cm

Airplane Rides / Boeing Clipper. ca. 1929

ANONYMOUS Size: 25 x 37 7/8 in./63.5 x 96.2 cm The Inman Brothers' Flying Circus was a travelling aerial show composed of three brothers and a lion named Kitty. The four of them would perform various barnstorming and skydiving routines, as well as offer rides to eager spectators. The circus disbanded in 1935 when the youngest brother died in an attempt to protect a female onlooker from a crash.

Dimensions: 25 x 37 7/8 in./63.5 x 96.2 cm

Linee Aeree Italiane. 1932

UMBERTO DI LAZZARO Size: 23 x 37 1/2 in./58.4 x 95.3 cm I.G.A.P. Roma One of the finest Italian aviation posters ever produced, this bold design cuts through Furturist color planes to express the pure mass and swift movement of Italian Airlines' fleet. This is the Italian-language version of the image.

Dimensions: 23 x 37 1/2 in./58.4 x 95.3 cm

I Internationale Luftschiffahrts Ausstellung. 1935

PLINIO CODOGNATO (1878-1940) Size: 27 1/8 x 39 1/8 in./69 x 99.5 cm The perfect embodiment of Fascist aesthetics under Mussolini, this poster aggressively advertises the first International Air Show of Milan. That year was particularly important for aerial innovation, as Germany debuted the Klemm Kl 35, while the Soviet Union introduced its I-15 and I-16 biplanes - all of which would feature prominently in World War II.

Dimensions: 27 1/8 x 39 1/8 in./69 x 99.5 cm

Air Afrique. 1935

A. ROQUIN Size: 23 3/8 x 38 1/8 in./59.3 x 97 cm Imp. Chaix, Paris Gazing through a large window in a white linen suit and pith helmet, the eager traveller gets his first view of Africa. Judging by the map in his hand, it would appear that he is looking for opportunities in France's African colonies.

Dimensions: 23 3/8 x 38 1/8 in./59.3 x 97 cm

Nach Sudamerika in 3 Tagen! ca. 1936

OTTOMAR ANTON (1895-1976) Size: 23 5/8 x 32 1/2 in./60 x 82.6 cm Mühlmeister & Johler, Hamburg The Graf Zeppelin was a German dirigible named after aviation pioneer Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin. It flew for the first time on September 18, 1928, and was the largest airship afloat up to that time. Initially used for experimental and demonstration purposes, the Zeppelin eventually made several long-range flights, including a three-day voyage from Germany to various ports in South America. This is the smaller format version of the design.

Dimensions: 23 5/8 x 32 1/2 in./60 x 82.6 cm

Pan American / South Sea Isles. 1938

PAUL GEORGE LAWLER Size: 25 1/4 x 38 5/8 in./64.3 x 98 cm Lawler created numerous images for Pan Am during the late 1930s, each one inviting the viewer to some exotic locale. This design for the South Sea Isles is perhaps his most enticing, with a flower-crowned native languidly reclining on the cliffs as a plane prepares for a water landing.

Dimensions: 25 1/4 x 38 5/8 in./64.3 x 98 cm

Jérome Cavalli. 1938

GEO HAM (Georges Hamel, 1900-1972) Size: 30 7/8 x 46 1/2 in./78.3 x 118 cm Imp. Max Courteau, Paris Noted as "one of the best high-flying specialists in the world," Jérome Cavalli was a member of the French air force. Frequently reprimanded for performing illegal acrobatics in military planes, he left the service in 1931 to become a test pilot for Gourdou Lesseure while also performing death-defying tricks at hundreds of airshows and meets throughout the 1930s.

Dimensions: 30 7/8 x 46 1/2 in./78.3 x 118 cm

Blériot Traverse La Manche. ca. 1950

ANONYMOUS Size: 29 1/4 x 21 5/8 in./74.4 x 55 cm Meant as didactic images for the French educational system, this Rossignol poster showcases a Blériot style plane as it takes off in the French countryside.

Dimensions: 29 1/4 x 21 5/8 in./74.4 x 55 cm

L'Armée de l'Air. ca. 1952

PAUL LENGELLE (1908-1993) Size: 25 3/8 x 39 1/2 in./64.5 x 100.3 cm St. Martin, Paris Printed during the Korean War, this daring image of a fleet of fighter jets looping in undemarcated space was meant to both increase confidence in the French Air Force as well as inspire bold young men to enlist.

Dimensions: 25 3/8 x 39 1/2 in./64.5 x 100.3 cm

Aéronautique / Espace. 1969

BERNARD VILLEMOT (1911-1989) Size: 45 3/4 x 61 1/2 in./116.2 x 156.2 cm Villemot created at least five posters for the Paris Air Show, this one dynamically showcasing two jets and a rocket - the perfect representations of both Modern Air and Space technology.

Dimensions: 45 3/4 x 61 1/2 in./116.2 x 156.2 cm


Acknowledgement: Invaluable





No comments:

Post a Comment