A collection of fifteen vintage bicycle posters in an attractive montage, featuring some of the absolute classics as well as lesser known gems. Cycles Gladiator, Omega, Déese, Cycles Médinger, Cycles Clément, etc.

From the golden age of bicycles in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

More about the history of vintage bicycle posters: https://colvilleandersen.medium.com/learning-about-marketing-advocacy-from-historical-bicycle-posters-a5121177e94

Acclaimed as one of the world's greatest posters, this image of a flame-tressed sylph, propelled among the stars by the Gladiator and its winged pedals, has been appropriated throughout culture ever since its debut in 1895. The artist remains unknown after all these years.

Nudity and toplessness were normal approaches in marketing in that age, by the way.

French bicycle poster for the Déesse brand (France / 1898).

The word “déesse” means goddess and this poster uses a couple of classic themes of the age: female emancipation and liberation.

The bicycle is lifted high above the masses, enabling the subject to fly free into a bold, exciting future.

The poster reads “Omega - sans chaine” or “chainless”. There were many chainless bicycles on the market back then.

This is a poster in one of the classic themes of the golden age of bicycle posters: Liberation. Featuring a strong female character, in this case winged, and floral patterns typical of the Art Nouveau movement.

This is a poster from 1910 for the German Victoria bicycle brand. It reads Victoria Fahrrad-Werke - (bicycle factory) - Nürnberg.

The theme is a classic of the age, showing a woman effortlessly cycling and doing so at speed, as illustrated by the dog sprinting alongside her.

The Northampton - by Northampton Cycle Company in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Early American bicycle poster featuring a dapper gentleman enjoying the ride in his flat cap and plus-four breeches, also known as knickerbockers.

Art Nouveau Vintage Bicycle Poster by the artist Alphonse Mucha. A classic poster from the golden age of bicycle posters, in the Art Nouveau style, complete with the metaphorical branch from a tree and contrasted with the hammer and anvil that she is casually resting her elbow on. Her pose and expression also convey a sense of thoughtful elegance.

A vintage bicycle poster featuring the Phébus bicycle produced by the Gladiator brand (France / 1896). It features a falling angel reaching towards a spinning wheel.

Phoebus was the Greek god who drove the sun across the heavens each day.

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Classic retro poster for the Cosmos bicycle brand (Switzerland / 1935).

A classic theme in these historical bicycle posters was showing effortlessness and in the years after the 1920s: speed started to feature as well. Illustrated by a woman enjoying speed AND ease as she happily paces a greyhound dog.

Classic Art Nouveau bicycle poster for the Swedish Crescent brand, for the American market (USA / 1899)

This poster is a strong Art Nouveau artwork featuring themes of female emancipation and freedom. The subject and her bicycle are facing right - indicating the future - and the wind is blowing strong. A metaphor for winds of change and, perhaps, a much appreciated tailwind when cycling.

An absolute classic in the annals of bicycle poster history, by the artist Henri Gray. All the metaphors of female emancipation, freedom and even a “reaching for the star” vibe are in play.

Nudity - or at least toplessness - was completely normal in advertising in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was considered gender neutral in bicycle ads and used equally to market bicycles to men and women.

This is another classic in bicycle poster history, not least because it was painted by Alphonse Mucha (France / 1902).

A strong Art Nouveau style with themes of effortlessness and another aspect of Belle Epoque marketing: big hair - a symbol of freedom in that the subject isn’t restricted to a coiffed bun hairstyle. Her hair is down, it’s loose - freedom.

This poster features the amazing image of a topless Gallic warrior princess striking a conquering pose with an impressive helmet, giant sword and a Liberator bicycle by her side. The printer’s logo of Caby & Chardin of Paris is printed at the bottom and a Paris address is printed in the lower right-hand corner of the poster.

It was first painted by Jean de Paleologue, who signed his works with PAL.

Cycles Clement was, by 1890, the largest bicycle brand in France. Their global aspirations are clear in the background: the Notre Dame in Paris, Asian pagodas and the pyramids in Egypt.

The proud cockerel featured is a timeless symbol of France.

A vintage bicycle poster for Falcon brand, by the artist Jean de Paleologue (PAL) (France / ca. 1895). It features primary themes of the age: female emancipation and the freedom the bicycle provides, with the added metaphor of a falcon - which isn’t odd given the name of the company. She is cycling effortlessly and at some speed.

Vintage bicycle poster for Royal Enfield Bicycles (UK / 1950s).

Even into the 1950s, the same themes were in play in bicycle posters. In this case, the sociability of bikes.

Get a bike - meet people!

This vintage Columbia Bicycle poster (USA / 1895) is a bizarre addition to the library of bicycle posters and a sharp departure from the many established themes in the artworks.

I’m guessing it’s the monkey saying, “We are having a heavenly time” because the parrot doesn’t look amused. The monkey’s feet aren’t on the pedals and they narrowly missed a rock. All very confusing and probably illegal in Alabama.

Vintage bicycle poster for Matador Cycles (Netherlands / 1907). One very noticeable theme in historical bicycle posters is the position of the woman. There are countless examples of the woman cycling symbolically ahead of the man. “See? It’s easy. No effort required.” Plus, it’s incredibly sociable. It’s an activity you can do together.

Vintage bicycle poster for the Germania brand (Germany / ca. 1900) once again featuring a strong, confident woman on her bike (räder) for this company in Dresden.

The beige rectangle at the bottom left was included for dealers in other countries to add their contact information.

Vintage bicycle poster for the Schwalbe bicycle tire brand, which still exists today, for the French market (France / 1938). It reads “c’est un chic vélo”, which means “it’s a chic bicycle” and features a diving swallow - birds are a common addition to the metaphorical storytelling of bicycle brands. The artists were Behrmann & Bosshard.

Vintage bicycle poster for the Swedish bike light brand Asea. The poster reads “ASEA Cykelljus visar vägen” which means “ASEA bike lights show the way”.

Simple minimalism in the artwork typical of Scandinavia in the mid-century.

My own mashup of three versions of a Cycles Gladiator advertisement (France / ca. 1900). The artist Paolo Henri produced the artwork and since this was also the age where lithography was developed, the same artwork was printed with different bright colours. Because they could.

This features a popular theme in the age, a bunch of well-dressed people being sociable - with no bicycle in sight. 

Poster for the Victor bicycle by the Overman Wheel Company (USA / 1899). The artist of this Art Nouveau artwork was Will H. Bradley and he used ornate decorative elements, curvilinear forms, and intricate patterns inspired by natural forms.

This poster features the cities in the US where Overman had distributors but at the bottom it reveals that this was a poster for the Italian market.

This is a vintage tourism poster featuring bicycles, rather than a bicycle poster (Denmark / 1947). Created by Hans Bendix, Copenhagen is labelled “the gay spot of Europe” - this was a time when “gay” meant “happy”. Now that the city is one of the great LGBT cities in the world, the message works even better today. 

It was promoting Denmark - primarily to the British - in the years after the Second World War. Germany was largely destroyed so the Brits were an attractive market for tourism.

This is an elaborate artwork by Henri Thiriet with a host of metaphors in play. The older woman sits in a bed of thorns, facing left (the past) while the young woman in white and with free-flowing hair rides towards the right (the future) and tosses flowers as she cycles.

The bike is modern and progressive and the older generation is hopelessly out of touch. The old woman isn’t even looking at the cycling girl, as though resigned to the future passing her by.

Vintage poster for Cycles Médinger (France / 1897). The artist Georges Alfred Bottini (1873 - 1907) was primarily an oil painter but like so many other artists he leapt onto the bicycle/lithography craze and made posters. This features a common theme from the age, namely well-dressed people (five women in this case) socializing, with the vague form of a bicycle present.

It’s a splendid artwork by Jules Chéret (1836–1933) featuring a liberated woman in strong French nationalist colours. It is unusual for the heavy use of text. This was 1891 so the bicycle was still in the early days of the bicycle craze so perhaps more information was needed.

It lists company information and location, prices and the texts “Elegance, Solidity, Latest Model”.

Definitely one of the weirdest bicycle posters ever produced. We know little about the artist Decam or the brand La Vélo Catémol. What we do know is that making a rock and roll sign with your fingers whilst casually sitting naked whilst chained to a well with a bicycle chain, was apparently a perfectly acceptable image for selling a product in 1897.

It reads “La vérité assise”, which translates as "the truth is established".

Vintage magazine cover from Danish Illustreret FamilieJournal or Illustrated Family Journal (Denmark / 1947).

It’s not a bicycle magazine but they thought it highly relevant to feature a beautiful photo of a Danish woman cycling for this 23 September, 1947 edition.

The bicycle is an integral part of Danish culture and has been since its invention.

Vintage bicycle poster for Atlas Bicycles (India / 1970s). India’s largest selling bicycle, it says, and this brand dominated the Indian market for many years.

Also, nice to see some diversity in bicycle posters, am I right?!

Vintage bicycle poster from Cycles Clement (France / 1897). Art by Ferdinand Mifliez, this poster from the iconic brand features the typical cockerel symbolizing France in the background pattern. And a woman is happily perusing their catalogue.

Vintage bicycle poster for Cycles Clement (France / ca. 1890s). This Art Nouveau poster was a typical style of the day and toplessless was a normal feature in advertising, symbolizing freedom. Add to that the branches of a tree that also dominate the art of the age.

The name Hirondelle means “swallow” and the artist N. Vivien went all in with swallows on this poster, as seen through an old window. Birds were a popular theme in bicycle posters - symbolizing freedom and effortlessness. Cycles Hirondelle produced over a million bicycles between 1895-1985. 

One of my favourite bicycle posters. The bicycle, for all its wonder in the minds of the public, was still a daunting machine. Especially women had to be convinced of its ease-of-use and great effort was put into portraying this in the artwork.

One very noticeable theme in historical bicycle posters is the position of the woman. There are countless examples of the woman cycling symbolically ahead of the man. “See? It’s easy. No effort required.” Plus, it’s incredibly sociable. It’s an activity you can do together.

Vintage bicycle poster for Stoewer’s Greif Fahrräder in Stettin (Germany / 1900). Classic poster of the age featuring loads of metaphors: it’s effortless to cycle, a woman with her hair flowing free, she is ahead of the chariot.

As an extra “in your face” move, she is proving the point by holding an egg timer.

Vintage bicycle poster for the Dutch brand Fongers (Netherlands / 1915).

The word eenig means only. Fongers - the only bicycle!

Vintage bicycle poster for Naumann’s Räder (Germany / 1905).

It reads “They are the best”.

Vintage bicycle poster for the Adler brand (Germany / 1910).

The rectangle space at the bottom was for adding information about dealers in other cities or countries.

Vintage bicycle poster for Fernard Clement brand (France / 1897). By Jean de Paleologue, who signed his works with PAL, one of the most prolific artists of bicycle posters. Metaphors: freedom, emancipation, hair flowing free

Vintage bicycle poster for the French brand Alcyon (France / 1903). It features strong French nationalism symbolism with the flag and also the classic emancipation of women theme.

It reads “light”, “fast” and “travels the world”. Beautiful.

Vintage bicycle poster for the Swedish brand Hermes (Sweden / 1950s). A classic Swedish brand, Hermes here boasts of the quality of their bikes. It reads, “With rust-free steel” at the top left and “the bicycle with parts made of rust-free steel” at the bottom right.