Motocycles Comiot 1899
Buy this print on Etsy →Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen captured the exhilaration of a changing world in this enchanting advertisement for Motocycles Comiot, a short-lived manufacturer that built motorcycles based on Dion-Bouton models at the turn of the century. What could have been a simple product notice becomes, in Steinlen's hands, a small meditation on modernity itself.
A pensive young woman rides gracefully through the countryside on her new machine, scattering a startled flock of geese in her wake. Behind her, somber farmers stoop over their fields, bound to an older, slower way of life. The contrast is deliberate and eloquent: the freedom, speed and independence of the modern rider set against the timeless agrarian world she is leaving behind. This is the larger, two-sheet version of the design, its scale amplifying every sense of movement. Steinlen rarely made a poster that was merely decorative, and this one rewards a second look: the startled geese, the labouring farmers and the serene rider together form a small essay on a world tipping from one century into the next.
Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) was a Swiss-French Art Nouveau artist famed for his tender Montmartre scenes and the graceful cats that recur throughout his work. A keen observer of everyday Parisian life, he brought warmth, humour and social feeling to the commercial poster, and here he turns an advertisement into a quiet story about progress.
Art Nouveau swept across Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, sweeping away rigid academic convention in favour of sinuous 'whiplash' lines, botanical ornament and idealised figures. It was the movement that first turned the humble advertising poster into a genuine art form and made the city street an open-air gallery.
Displayed at scale, this print becomes a dynamic focal point. Its lyrical composition and country palette hold their own above a sofa, bed or console, anchor a gallery wall of mixed prints, and bring movement, colour and a sense of history to a living room, hallway, garage, study or studio.
Printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail. Choose your size from the drop-down menu - 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube (or flat for the smallest size); frame not included.
This is a faithful reproduction of the original lithograph - colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving crisp, clean and ready to frame.
A memorable gift for anyone who loves Steinlen, vintage French art or the early age of the motorcycle - and a lasting way to bring a piece of poster history into a home, studio or workplace. Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of the original; subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic character.
