Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 42 1/2 x 59 in./108 x 150 cm
Condition: B-Slight tears along folds; staining and tears at paper edges.
Printer: Imp. P. Dupont, Paris
Reference: Ref: Ailes, p. 50 (var)

La Française/Jacquelin. ca. 1900.
“At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Edmond Jacquelin (Santhonay 1875 - Paris 1928), nicknamed ‘le piou-piou’, was a genuine star. A baker in Paris, he made himself known on the track of the Champ de Mars, then, as a soldier, he won the 1896 Championship of France. In 1900, he dominated the tracks of the Grand Prix de Paris, as well as the French and the World Championships. A very popular champion, parading through the Bois de Boulogne in his barouche drawn by two white horses, in his private loge at the Comédie Française and, thanks to this poster, on the walls of Paris . . . [The] composition is simple but effective and it emphasizes the smiling face and the athletic qualities of the champion. His victory on May 27, 1901, against Major Taylor (‘The Colored Cyclone’) on the brand-new track of the Parc des Princes marks the top of his glory” (Ailes, p. 50). Though this version of the poster is in many ways identical to the poster executed by an artist identified as “Burly” (see Ailes, p. 50), several small changes (additional background color and text, and greater attention to physical detail) lead us to believe that an uncredited designer, working from the “Burly” original, arrived at this superlative finish. Hence, it remains the work of “Anonymous.”