{ Affichomanie } { Vintage Bicycle Posters }

46

Anonymous

Cycles L'Indienne

Lithograph in colors, condition A- printed by Seulin & Dehon, Valenciennes, backed on linen.

47 x 34 1/8in (120 x 87cm)

Speeding away from hard charging pursuers has never looked so easy as in this scene, where the American Indian Princess casually makes her escape. Hopefully her bare feet on sharp metal pedals aren't too badly hurt riding through the desert. This poster provides an interesting look into the use of the exotic in art. Cycles l'Indienne was a small, local company in northern France, in the town of Neuville Saint Remy. This town is so small, in fact, that the poster even mentions that it is near the somewhat larger city of Cambrai. Given that the artist remains anonymous, it was likely produced by a local who lacked a certain amount of worldliness. It is easy to imagine, therefore, that the artist had never seen an American Indian, and had to either invent what one would look like, or turn to a model book for an example. An African influence was certainly used. This poster was likely distributed only in the same rural vicinity where its viewers probably also had no knowledge of what an American Indian looked like. Thus, accuracy was not as important as simply creating an exotic, enticing image for the local French consumer.