1949 Tour de France Official Tour Results Poster, Race Winner – Fausto Coppi

1949 Tour de France Official Tour Results Poster

A gorgeous, colorful official 1949 Tour de France poster. The design is headed “RÉSULTATS DU TOUR” in large black letters (Note the interesting typo – Tiour instead of Tour). At the center sits a bright red map of France, with the Tour route traced around the country and Paris boldly marked in the middle. Around this central panel runs a broad border of red and blue rectangles, each carrying an advertisement for a regional business, many of them based in Marseille, including shops, cafés, clothing stores, garages, and service companies. The imprint along the lower edge credits “PIRA décorateur” for the design and Publicité Montpellier-Index in Montpellier as printer and publisher, matching descriptions in French archival and auction records.

The lower third of the sheet is a large blank rectangle. This space was left empty so that shopkeepers or race organizers could write in the day’s Tour results by hand, updating the classification as the race progressed. Pieces of this type were used in shops, bars, or public spaces to attract customers who wanted to follow the Tour and to showcase local advertisers.

The 1949 Tour de France was the 36th edition of the race, run from 30 June to 24 July 1949 over 21 stages and about 4,800 kilometers, starting and finishing in Paris. It became one of the most famous Tours in history thanks to the rivalry between Italian stars Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. Coppi ultimately won the overall classification, with Bartali second and French rider Jacques Marinelli third. Coppi also took the mountains classification and, with teammates, helped Italy win the team classification, making 1949 a dominant year for the Italian squad.

This poster captures the public-facing side of that era, when crowds followed Coppi and Bartali’s battle stage by stage on hand-written result boards in cafés and shop windows. With its bold map, colorful advertising border, and large results area, it is both a graphic piece of commercial art and a tangible relic of the legendary 1949 Tour de France.

This poster has been archivally and professionally linen-backed.

Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on fragile, thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters, allowing them to be displayed or framed without compromising their value.

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.

Year: 1949
Artist: PIRA, décorateur
Publicité Montpellier – Index

Size: 59 x 80.5 cm ( 23 ¼  x 31 ¾  inches)

Posters are sold unframed. Framed images are display ideas only.

This is a one-of-a-kind item; please review the photos carefully to determine the condition.

This item is listed on multiple platforms, and availability is subject to prior sale elsewhere.