Cycles Wonder poster vintage cycling poster – Mich – 1920 Cycles Wonder was a bicycle manufacturing company founded in St Etienne, Loire, France, in 1910, by the Ravat Company. This humorous vintage cycling poster highlights what many would see as a negative aspect of cycling, the peril of riding through puddles! For this cyclist, however, you can clearly see from the joy on his face he is enjoying the ride through the water and creating a huge splash. The poster was created in 1920 and has been carried out superbly by the artist Mich. So much so that it has become one of the most iconic and popular cycling posters. The text on this superb Cycles Wonder poster exclaims “Elle eclabousse tout!!” which translates to English as “She splatters everything!!”, presumably not only relating to puddles but also bicycles made but competing manufacturers. The Ravat company was founded in 1898 by Jules Ravat and Auguste Argaud. By 1925, the company had grown to be a business with 1200 employees and a production of 80,000 bicycles and motorcycles. Wonder Cycles, another Ravat brand, was created in 1910, with a star as its badge logo. It was well known for its racing successes and also for its range of innovative and colourful publicity posters. The Ravat company was sold to Mercier, another St Etienne manufacturer, in 1954. Original copies of this vintage cycling poster currently sell (2012) for around $1000. Other Vintage Cycling Posters For many people, cycling is one of life’s joys. The simple feeling of freedom when riding along on a beautiful day, to the endorphin rush that comes from conquering a challenging hill. Over the years, thousands of posters have been devoted to the activity. From posters advertising the manufacturer’s latest bicycle models to posters for cycling events to the fun and health benefits that cycling offers. We currently have heading for 100 cycling posters on our website and we are adding to them all the time. Here, we’ve selected just five to show the variety and diversity available. One of the earliest we have dates back to 1889 and was created by the French artist Lucian Baylac. It was produced for Clement Cycles and depicts three men in a close-run cycle race. We love it! Our second offers a beautiful sedate cycling scene. The poster was illustrated by Felix Fournery for Cycles de Dion-Bouton. It shows a woman standing on top of coastal cliffs, with her dog at her side. Wonderful! Another one we love was created in 1920 by the artist Mich. The poster was produced for Wonder Cycles and depicts a competitive cyclist riding and splashing his way through a muddy puddle. One cycle manufacturer who embraced the humble poster in their advertising more than most was Terrot & Cie. The poster we’ve chosen features a young couple who are simply breezing up the Montanvers mountainside. It’s easy on a Terrot cycle, not so much for those further down the hill! For our fifth choice we’ve picked a 1936 poster by Gino Boccasile. The bold and dynamic image of a pair of cyclists on the oval cycle track advertises the Velodromo Comunale Vigorelli Via Arorna Sempione. There are so many more to choose from and maybe you’ll prefer some of our others,
