This vibrant mid-century poster promotes the Route de France, the French amateur and independent rider stage race widely regarded as a “little Tour de France.” The race ran from 1951 to 1990 and was organized by the weekly newspaper Route et Piste under race director Jean Leulliot, who also created Paris–Nice and other major events.
Across the top, the text in Dutch reads “Onder de banier van dagblad Het Volk,” or “Under the banner of the daily newspaper Het Volk.” Het Volk was a Ghent-based Belgian daily that heavily used cycle racing in its promotions and later gave its name to the cobbled spring classic, Omloop Het Volk, now Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The central graphic is a bold map of France in turquoise, with the Route de France course drawn from Paris to Limoges and a chain of named stage towns, including Saint Quentin, Charleville, Épernay, Chaumont, Pougues, Thiers, Mende, Decazeville, Brive, and Pons. At the very top of the map, Oostende and Geraardsbergen are highlighted in red, showing that this edition featured two stages in Belgium. The lower panels announce those cross-border stages in Dutch: a second stage from Saint Quentin to Oostende over 182.5 kilometers, and a third stage via Geraardsbergen to Charleville over 153 kilometers.
The central graphic is a bold map of France in turquoise, with the Route de France course drawn from Paris to Limoges and a chain of named stage towns, including Saint Quentin, Charleville, Épernay, Chaumont, Pougues, Thiers, Mende, Decazeville, Brive, and Pons. At the very top of the map, Oostende and Geraardsbergen are highlighted in red, showing that this edition featured two stages in Belgium. The lower panels announce those cross-border stages in Dutch: a second stage from Saint Quentin to Oostende over 182.5 kilometers, and a third stage via Geraardsbergen to Charleville over 153 kilometers.
Printed by the Het Volk photogravure works in Ghent, this poster combines strong red and blue blocks of color, cartoon signboards marking the start in Paris and finish in Limoges, and hand-lettered town names that snake across the map. It is both a charming piece of Route de France history and a vivid example of Belgian promotional design from the early years of the race.
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 very thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters so they can be displayed or framed without compromising value.
This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.
Year: 1953
Artist: n/a
Printer: Drukkerij en Photogravure ‘Het Volk’ Gent
Size: 53.5 x 73 cm (21 x 28 ¾ inches) – Linen Backed
This is a one-of-a-kind poster; please review the photos carefully to determine the condition.
This item is listed on multiple platforms, and availability is subject to prior sale elsewhere.
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