Pour la Maillot Jaune – For the Yellow Jersey – 1940 French Movie Poster

Pour le Maillot Jaune – For the Yellow Jersey 

Starring Albert Préjean and Meg Lemonnier

Bright, dramatic, and unmistakably Tour de France, this original film poster promotes the 1940 French cycling feature Pour le maillot jaune, a romantic story set against the pull of the yellow jersey. Across the top, the stars are named in sweeping red letters: “Albert Préjean, Meg Lemonnier,” and the composition immediately leans into classic-cinema glamour. The two leads appear in an idealised portrait, cheek to cheek, framed inside a bold red heart against a vivid yellow background, the kind of design that grabs you from across the room.

Across the middle, the poster pivots from romance to race. A banner reads “Tour de France cycliste, arrivée,” calling out the finish line moment, and the lower image is a photographic montage showing a full line of riders with their racing bicycles, captured just before the start. The title at the bottom, Pour le Maillot Jaune, lands in huge letters, with Maillot Jaune dominating the line, making the film’s central symbol impossible to miss.

Printed in Belgium and rich in warm reds, deep yellows, and sepia-toned racing imagery, the poster perfectly captures the mood of early 1940s French cinema and the public’s fascination with the Tour de France. It is a wonderful crossover piece for collectors of vintage cycling or classic film. A lovely, authentic period poster that celebrates both the romance of the road and the magic of the maillot jaune.

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: 1940
Artist: N/A
Printer: L. & H. Verstegen, Bruxelles – AFPA #6386

Size: 28 x 37 cm (11 x 14 ½  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.