Like Americans, Europeans have had a romantic fascination with motorcycles starting from the creation of motorize bicycles in the early part of the 20th century and continuing through today.  The earliest example we have on Limited Runs of a motorcycle advertising poster comes from France in 1904, with this poster from Griffon advertising it’s motorized bicycle.

 

 

Griffon early motorized bicycle ad from 1904 France designed by Frederic-Hugo de Alesi.

 

 

 

 

The French motorcycle ads of the 1920’s advertised what we recognize as the more traditional motorcycle, but as we see with this advertising poster, Favor still promoted both its line of motorcycles and bicycles together.  This was common, as we see with the two following posters.

Advertising both motorcycles and bicycles Favor used this colorful poster designed by Mathey (circa 1920’s).

 Artist Bellenger 1937 design for Favor Motors

Here is a great example of an early 1920’s French ad for MCF Motorcycles.

 We find additional example of dual promotion of bicycles and motorcycles in a single advertisement through the 50’s as with this colorful poster in 1955 by artist TDT who designed several posters for France’s Terrot.

We also have poster which promoted the motorcycle for racing.

This Swedish poster is for a weekend-long motorcycle and auto racing event in Skarpnack, a Stockholm suburb. Motor sports, and racing in general, have always been popular in Sweden and Gus Leander was well known as the artist of the racers. A great, late ’40s image of both motorcycle and auto racing.

A weekend of camping, swimming and motorcycle racing is the attraction in this late ’50s poster, by Gus Leander, for Sweden’s Grand Prix of motorcycles.

Austrian poster from 1960

 Designer Gielly in 1949

 Artist TDT also designed this poster in 1932

 Check all of the Motorcycle posters available for sale on Limited Runs, click here.

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