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Cycles Gladiator

$750.00

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

This gorgeous black and white poster from the1890s features a perpetual calendar, which is still intact and functional.

Gladiator Cycles, founded in 1891 by Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq, was a French bicycle manufacturer located northeast of Paris in Le Pre-Saint-Gervais, Seine.  In 1896 the company was bought by Adolphe Clement and became Clement-Gladiator Cycles.

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.

Year: c. 1890’s

Size: 47.5 x 62.5 cm (18.75 x 24.5 inches)

Condition: B-.  Linen-backed.  Minor edge paper loss not affecting the image.

Printer: Cie Francaise de Papiers Monnaie

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

In stock

SKU: ZXT-1103/PT-200083 Category:

Description

Vintage posters are the original form of advertising. These posters, made to advertise products, were never intended to last; they were hung outdoors, rained on, and eventually torn down or covered up. The early process of stone lithography created beautiful images, but quantities were small; generally, only 2,000 to 3,000 were printed. The examples that have survived are those that were not displayed; they are the extras that didn’t get used.

By the 1950s, posters were being printed using processes much more technologically advanced than labor-intensive stone lithography. Modern Era Posters are crisp, vibrant, and capture the riders at the perfect moment in time. Official race posters have bold color schemes that jump off the wall. From its roots in the second half of the 1800s, contemporary posters continue to tell the ever-evolving story of cycling.

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

Additional information

Weight 3 lbs

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