£3.99 – £14.00
With the arrival of the PLM railway to Chamonix Mont-Blanc in 1901 it wasn’t long before skiing went from being a crude mode of transport to a recreational hobby and sport. Just four years later, Chamonix’s local Doctor Payot, founded the Alpine Sports Club of Mont-Blanc. The club was to become the Chamonix section of the French Alpine Club. As the founder, Doctor Payot organised Chamonix’s first winter sports competitions.
In 1908 The French Alpine Club named Chamonix Mont-Blanc as the host town for the second International Ski Competition. The main attraction at the event would be the presence of Norwegian skiers who at the time were among the best skiers in the world. The French used the event to assess the work that would be needed to enable them to reach an international standard of skiing. The competition was a great success.
The success of the 1908 event led to more events being held, and in 1910 Chamonix held the Mont Blanc Challenge Cup. A poster was commissioned by the Paris, Lyon and Mediterranean railway company. They chose the Italian artist Francisco Tomagno to produce a poster for the competition.
Tomagno created the eye-catching poster featured on this page. It depicts a pair of ski jumpers flying through the air in perfect synchronization. The scene is completed with several wooden chalets and forests of pine trees scattered around the picturesque landscape. The snow-covered mountain peaks of the Alps provide a beautiful backdrop, making it clear that this is a winter sports contest. The ski-jumpers are both well-equipped and appear to be in excellent shape.
The poster explains that the Mont Blanc Challenge Cup are International Contests of Skis, Bobsleighs, Tobogans, etc. International Skating Competitions were also held.
The poster produced by the French National Railway was aimed at the British winter sports enthusiasts and spectators. It advertises Express Trains with through carriages. And suggests For all information apply to the Continental Railways, Tourist Agencies and to the PLM company’s offices at 179-180 Piccadilly, London. Or the Syndicate at Chamonix.
The poster was originally printed by Émile Pécaud & Cie in Paris. It’s a rare and sought-after posters and one that somebody paid over £16,000 for back in 2015.
The human habitation of the Alps mountain range goes back more than 5000 years. Evidence of this was discovered in September 1991 when Europe’s oldest known mummy, “Ötzi the Iceman,” was found in the Ötztaler Alps on the border between Austria and Italy. The clothing and gear he had on him indicated that he lived in an alpine farming community sometime between 3350 and 3105 BC.
Further proof has been found in the Wildkirchli caves in the Appenzell Alps which show traces of Neanderthal habitation from around 40,000 BCE.
Ever since then shepherds and later farmers would transfer their grazing livestock between the high mountain pastures in summer and the low valley meadows in winter. It’s a traditional practice called Alpine transhumance that continues to this day. It’s where the name of the Alps comes from. Alp is the German word ‘seasonal mountain pasture’.
Between 35 and 6 BC, the Alpine region was gradually integrated into the expanding Roman Empire with the subsequent construction of roads over the Alpine passes enabling the northern and southern Roman settlements in the Alps to be connected, eventually integrating the inhabitants of the Alps into the culture of the Empire.
In more recent times. the Chamonix Mont-Blanc valley itself has been inhabited since the 11th century, and a Benedictine Priory was established in the region in the 13th century.
Chamonix’s first “tourists” didn’t arrive until 1741. of two English aristocrats in the summer of 1741. The guests were two English aristocrats, William Windham, a landowner and Richard Pocock, a churchman, an avid traveller and travel writer. The two men had been on a Grand Tour of the Middle East and were visiting the Alps on their way back to England.
During their time in the Alps, Windham and Pococke explored the Chamonix Mont-Blanc valley. They met the rural population made up of mountain farmers and monks, and with the help of local guides, they scaled Montenvers. They also ‘discovered’ and named the Mer de Glace glacier
They were the first recorded ‘travellers for pleasure’, or tourists, to the region. On their return to England, the stories of their exploits were published in literary journals across Europe making themselves and Chamonix Mont-Blanc famous. Before long Chamonix was the ‘in’ place to visit. And visit they did!
As early as 1770, Chamonix’s first guesthouse, the Hotel d’Angleterre, was opened by a Madame Coutterand. By 1783, around 1,500 people were spending their summers in the valley.
The summit of Mont Blanc was finally conquered in 1786 by two local men, Jacque Balmat & Michel Paccard and in 1816 Chamonix’s first luxury hotel, The Hotel de l’Union was built. It was swiftly followed by others such as La Couronne, Le Royal, Hotel Mont Blanc Chamonix and many more.
Following an accident in 1821 La Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix Mont Blanc ‘The Chamonix Mountain Guide Company’ was founded to provide financial support to guides and their families in the event that they were no longer able to work or stricken by accident. It was the first foundation of its kind and remains the most prestigious to this day.
The real turning point for Chamonix however was the creation of road & rail links, which for the first time allowed less adventurous tourists to visit. The rail link from St Gervais to Chamonix was completed in 1901, and opened the growing town to winter visitors. Making Chamonix Mont-Blanc one of the oldest winter sports and ski resorts in France.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as a fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.
These digitally enhanced posters are professionally printed with fade resistant inks on to a thick 300gsm silk poster card.
A4 posters are printed on to 300gsm silk artboard
A3, A2 and 50x70cm posters are printed on to 230gsm poster paper
All posters are despatched by 2nd class Royal Mail.Posters are posted in either a hard backed envelope clearly marked ‘Do Not Bend’ or a sturdy postal tube.
This listing is for prints only, frames shown in any photos are not included in the sale.
| Size | A4, A3, A2, 50x70cm |
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