Description
Emil Dörflinger (alt spelling Doerflinger)
Emil Dörflinger was a giant of a man by the standards of his era — roughly 6’4″ and 220 pounds — and one of Switzerland’s most successful track sprinters of the early twentieth century. Born in Bischheim in 1882, he made his name on the velodrome and by 1901 was already being ranked among the leading riders on the German-speaking racing circuit. He soon began testing himself on the major Paris tracks, where his size, power and distinctive presence made him an easy rider to recognize. Over the next decade he became the dominant Swiss sprinter of his generation, winning the Swiss national sprint championship seven times: 1901, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. Period ND Phot postcards also celebrated him as “Recordman du Monde du Kilomètre” — world kilometer record holder, although the precise performance behind that claim remains difficult to document today.
Dörflinger raced far beyond Switzerland. He was a regular on the great French velodromes, competed in the 1905 New York Six-Day, and became especially successful in tandem racing, forming a formidable partnership with French sprint champion Victor Dupré. Contemporary accounts credited the pair with an unbeaten run lasting roughly two and a half years. Dörflinger also scored an important international victory at the Grand Prix de Turin, adding to a career that stretched across Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
His story became even more extraordinary away from cycling. During the First World War, while working as a representative for a Swiss chocolate company, Dörflinger was arrested in Germany in 1915 on suspicion of espionage and sentenced to death. Intervention by the Swiss government saved his life; the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and he remained interned until his release in 1919. Dörflinger eventually returned home and lived until 1963, dying at the age of 81. Between his seven Swiss championships, international racing career, tandem success, world-record reputation and remarkable wartime ordeal, he was far more than just another name from cycling’s early track era.
This is just a very short summary of the fascinating story of Emil Doerflinger.
Read the full story by clicking here:
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ND Phot Les Sports Postcards
c1904 – c1910
By Mark Holt, 2020
This set of 14 x 9 cm French postcards is titled ‘Les Sports’ and is credited to ‘ND Phot’ (Nourdein Frères). It was likely issued from 1904 through 1910. I have seen the cyclists along with a number of motorcyclists, and there may be other sports represented. Jacques Lannoy puts the number issued at 600, which would make this one of the largest cycling sets ever. I’ve checklisted 323 cards, including a number of variations of the same subjects. There are many motor pacing combos in the set.
The fronts of the postcards are full bleed black and white posed photos of the riders on a track with the card number in the lower left, the rider name and the series title in the lower middle, and ‘ND Phot’ as a credit in the lower right. The backs are mostly typical postcard backs with no further series or publisher identification. Rene Pottier (1906 Tour Winner) is in this set, one of the few cards I’ve seen of him. The Rutt card I own has a pre-1905 back and is stamped from September 1904.
This set is the most complete look at the European track racing era just after the turn of the century. It features just about every professional who competed in France during the era, including Americans like Walthour and MacFarland.
The set has multiple variations, including cards with text within the image and then the same card with its text on a white background. I’ve checklisted the versions of these that I’ve seen, but there are likely more. There are also issues with the photo credit in different spots on the card. The variations indicate changes within the cards over the years.
Edmond Jacquelin was the king of French sprinters from 1896 through 1902 and was the World Sprint Champion in 1900. He had a series of highly publicized races with Major Taylor in 1901. By the time this series came out, he was running on fumes but was still a big name and could draw lucrative matches with the likes of the new American star, Bobby Walthour.
Source: Velo Images: The History of Bike Racing in Collectible Cards by Mark Holt, 2020
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All of the postal cards on our site are original, with no reproductions.
The cards are quite old and one-of-a-kind; please look at the photos carefully to determine their condition.
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