Here, in one of the most appealing of Grasset’s posters, atmosphere is paramount. “Of the product, we see barely a handlebar: it is the moody and enigmatic rider who carries the weight of the sale. The twilight effect adds warmth to the image in which type and design are beautifully integrated. Georges Richard was one of quite a number of bicycle manufacturers who were hurriedly adding automobiles as a sideline around the turn of the century; within a few years, the sideline would become the main, or as here, the only product of the company” (Gold, p. 56). This is the rare smaller format.
Imp. de Vaugirard & G. de Malherbe, Paris
literature: DFP-II, 415; Bicycle Posters, 21; Berthon & Grasset, p. 34; Weill, 41; Timeless Images, 28; Dodge, p. 132; Gold, 78; Encyclopédie/Weill p. 41; Posters of Paris, 54; PAI-XCIII, 37