£4.50 – £18.00
This early Davos Ice Skating poster is a real beauty! The event, now officially known as the 1908 World Allround Speed Skating Championships, took place at 8 and 9 February 1908 on Europe’s largest natural ice rink, the Eisstadion in Davos, Switzerland. According to the poster, the ice races were open to international competitors. In reality, it was mainly athletes from the Nordic countries that entered. Entries were made by Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Denmark, the Nederlands and a sole entry, Frederick Dix from England. Dix went on to represent England in the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics.
The poster was created by the renowned poster artist Walter Koch and features an illustration of a speed skater racing around the course on the ice, with the Swiss Alps in the background. The text reads: Davos Internationale Eiswettlaufen. 8 und 9 Februar 1908. Schnelllaufen um die Weltmeisterschaft Kunstlaufen Paarlaufen. Which translates as: The Speed Skating and Figure Skating World Championship.
In the 1908 World Speed Skating Championships competitors were required to skate four distances: 500m, 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m. A point system was introduced to make a ranking. The points were awarded to the skaters who had skated all four distances. The final ranking was then decided by ordering the skaters by lowest point totals. Fifteen skaters took part of which ten qualified. The contest was won outright with Oscar Mathieson from Norway taking the gold medal. However, the 1908 Championships were the first time Silver and Bronze medals were also awarded. The additional medals went to another Norwegian, Martin Saeterhaug who came second and Sweden’s Moje Öhlm who took bronze. Oscar Mathieson won three distances and, as per the rules, was made World champion.
Davos has a long history of being one of the world’s premier winter sports destinations. It was one of the first resorts in the world to focus on winter sports. It opened its first ice skating rink in 1881, with ice skating being the most popular winter sport activity through the 1920s.
The resort of Davos is nearly 140 years old and has hosted more than 30 European and World championships. Today, thanks to its excellent facilities and stunning scenery, Davos continues to be a popular destination for both professional and amateur athletes alike, . The Swiss winter sports resort now boasts the largest open-air skating rink in Europe. It covers an area equivalent to two-and-a-half soccer fields. With its rich history and commitment to offering the best possible experience for winter sports enthusiasts, Davos provides a premier training space for amateurs and professionals.
There are several variations of the Davos Internationale Eiswettlauten poster. It appears with different text in the blank text box. It was even used as late as 1910 to promote an unrelated skating event. In a 2019 article for MailOnline Joseph Laws wrote an article about a collection of sixty-two posters depicting the ‘halcyon days of skiing’ that were being auctioned off. One of those posters was a blank version of our reproduction Davos Ice Skating poster. Later in the article Laws explains ‘one of the stand-out lots is a 1908 poster promoting international skating races at Davos in Switzerland, created by German designer Walther Koch. It is valued at £5,000’.
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 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 onto a thick 300gsm silk poster card.
A4 posters are printed on to 300gsm silk artboard
A3, A2, and 50x70cm posters are printed on 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, A1 |
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