Georges Sérès Bicycles – c. 1922

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

Georges Sérès, one of the premier track riders of the 1920s, was most noted for his prominence as a stayer rider (racing behind a specially designed motorcycle). In this discipline, he won the 1920 World Championships. This striking poster captures Sérès in a full race pose, complete with a heavy leather helmet, French National Team jersey, and special black leather racing shoes.

On top of being a great design, the poster has a great history. We obtained the ones we have 15+ years ago in France in a direct purchase. They were discovered in the attic walls of Georges Seres’ personal home when the current owners were doing restoration. The posters were being used as insulation and had likely been inside the walls since the 1930s! We jumped at the opportunity and bought all 32 of them. After getting the posters linen-backed, we sold a few to a friend who is a poster dealer and kept the rest. To the best of our knowledge, these are the only originals known to exist. It never ceases to amaze us what lurks in the attics of Europe!