The Charm of Vintage Posters

Vintage Bicycle Posters - Some of My Favorites

Bicycle posters were originally used as an advertising medium for especially French bicycle manufacturers. This was in the beginning of the era of bicycling when these vehicles first became practical and useful; as well as reasonably affordable for the general public. Some crucial improvements of bicycle design around 1890 suddenly made bicycling a safe and convenient means of transportation for both men and women.

These bicycle posters, which we now know as "vintage bicycle posters", were produced primarily during the early 1900's, and often in a style influenced by art noveau. Some people collect them and are searching for original specimens. Such original vintage bicycle posters may command very high prices if in good shape. Since the posters were printed on simple newsprint stock, they have often deteriorated with age and well-preserved specimens are rare.

If you are searching for such original vintage posters, you can for instance go to eBay and look for relevant auctions there. Be prepared to pay thousands of dollars for such vintage original posters.

Unless you are a hardcore collector of vintage bicycle posters, you may be just as happy getting a good modern copy of a well-preserved old poster. Depending on the size, paper, and printing quality, they may cost from around 20 dollars and up to a few hundred.

Personally, my chief interest in those fine old vintage bicycle posters is their charming, somewhat naive, beauty. They were made to convey a sense of the fun and freedom of bicycling, and since I am an avid bicyclist myself I can relate to that. And especially with the French vintage bicycle posters, there is also an endearing use of beautiful female bicycle riders to get the attention of potential buyers.

For instance, I have seen a poster featuring a scantily clad young woman flying through the air on her bicycle, high up in the sky - like some bicycling angel! The scene is rendered with a charming naiveness of style, seemingly influenced by the Art Noveau movement which was popular back then.

Another special poster is the one entitled "WAVERLEY", bottom-left in the box here. It is designed by the well-known artist Alfons Mucha, who unleashed the whole "art noveau" style.

I have found Art.com to be a great source of vintage bicycle posters. They have an astonishing variety of those, in various sizes. Use the searchbox in the top-right corner of this page to browse the full inventory of posters!

Warning: you will be totally absorbed, and may end up neglecting other important duties like doing the dishes...