Affiche Richard Brasier 1905 d’après Henri Bellery-Desfontaine

Poster for the double victory of the Richard-Brasier automobiles in the Gordon Benett race, 1904 and 1905. Lithograph printed on paper, after Henri Bellery-Desfontaines (1867-1909). H. 92cm, W: 160cm. Canvas poster. The particularity of this race lies in its rules which impose that the annual event will be organised by the country that won the previous edition, and that only the nationality of the car manufacturer counts. On 5 July 1905, more than 80,000 spectators and 200 journalists attended the race, which was won, as in the previous year, by Léon Théry in a Richard-Brasier with an eleven-litre, 96 bhp engine, in 7 hours and 2 minutes at an average speed of nearly 80 km/h. This 1905 poster consecrates both the triumph of the Art Nouveau style of the early 20th century, characterised by its curved lines, and of Richard-Brasier automobiles thanks to its driver Léon Théry. A rare testimony of the first hours of French glory in automobile competition.