Humber Cycles Poster | PAL 1897 | Vintage Cycling Poster
A very early belle epoque era Humber Cycles Poster created by the Romanian artist PAL. It was printed in 1897 to promote the company’s latest bicycles for ladies as well as gentlemen. PAL’s poster depicts a young couple taking a break from their bicycle ride to take in the scenery, enjoy each other’s company, relax and smoke a cigarette, before resuming their journey. His products were so well-made and well-designed that they became known as “the aristocrat among bicycles”.
Humber Cycles
The history of Humber Cycles can be traced back to 1868 when Thomas Humber, at that time a Nottingham blacksmith, spent two months making a velocipede, soley based on a diagram in a journal called English Mechanic. Once built, he found a buyer and sold it. His next velocipede also took two months but included some improvements in the design. He sold that one to the same buyer too! Humber was constantly striving to improve the design and construction of each newly crafted bicycle.
1871 saw Thomas Humber produce his own version of an “ordinary” cycle. The ordinary or Penny Farthing as it became more commonly known, was relatively short-lived. The bikes were lightweight and fast, but they were also unstable and hazardous, with many riders taking a ‘header’… flying over the handlebars. Because of the Ordinary’s inherent danger, efforts were soon made to design a bicycle safer than the high-wheelers. By 1884 Humber had once again developed and patented his own safety bicycle, with a diamond-shaped frame and wheels of similar size.
Over the next few years, the company changed names and ownership several times being known as Humber, Marriott & Cooper in 1875 and Humber & Lambert in 1885. Humber & Lambert then sold the business in 1887 and the name became Humber & Company Limited. Thomas. Part of the sale conditions saw Thomas Humber oversee the company for a further five years. He then retired in 1892, aged 51.
The Humber company began a period of overseas expansion forming additional companies in France and America. The introduction of pneumatic tyres around 1895 saw sales rise in a new cycling boom. 1896 saw the company add the first practical motorbike to its product range when it added a 2HP Pennington engine to one of its standard bicycles.
The bicycle boom was short-lived. The rise in popularity of the motorcycle and the automobile had taken over, causing a slump in bicycle sales between 1898-1899. Financial difficulties led to another company name change to Humber Limited.
By 1914, Humber was only second to Wolseley as Britain’s largest car manufacturing business. Cycles became less important to the public and the company. In February 1932 Humber Cycles was sold to Raleigh. Humber continued as a premium brand made by Raleigh into the 1960s. The Humber brand name remained a highly valued trademark for more than ninety years.
Other Vintage Cycling Posters
For many people, cycling is one of life’s joys. The simple feeling of freedom when riding along on a beautiful day, to the endorphin rush that comes from conquering a challenging hill. Over the years, thousands of posters have been devoted to the activity. From posters advertising the manufacturer’s latest bicycle models to posters for cycling events to the fun and health benefits that cycling offers. We currently have heading for 100 cycling posters on our website and we are adding to them all the time.
Here, we’ve selected just five to show the variety and diversity available. One of the earliest we have dates back to 1889 and was created by the French artist Lucian Baylac. It was produced for Clement Cycles and depicts three men in a close-run cycle race. We love it!
Our second offers a beautiful sedate cycling scene. The poster was illustrated by Felix Fournery for Cycles de Dion-Bouton. It shows a woman standing on top of coastal cliffs, with her dog at her side. Wonderful! Another one we love was created in 1920 by the artist Mich. The poster was produced for Wonder Cycles and depicts a competitive cyclist riding and splashing his way through a muddy puddle.
One cycle manufacturer who embraced the humble poster in their advertising more than most was Terrot & Cie. The poster we’ve chosen features a young couple who are simply breezing up the Montanvers mountainside. It’s easy on a Terrot cycle, not so much for those further down the hill!
For our fifth choice we’ve picked a 1936 poster by Gino Boccasile. The bold and dynamic image of a pair of cyclists on the oval cycle track advertises the Velodromo Comunale Vigorelli Via Arorna Sempione.
There are so many more to choose from and maybe you’ll prefer some of our others,
How much is an original 1897 Humber Cycles Poster worth?
In its original stone lithographic print form, this poster is scarce. Being one of the oldest cycling posters, not only for the Humber Cycles company but for any cycling company, not many have survived the 120+ years since they were originally printed. For cycling poster enthusiasts, like fans of any genre gives it an added appeal. Up until the last couple of years these posters have sold for around the 1500 euros mark. Recently however (2021), we have seen one listed on an original vintage poster site with a price tag of an impressive 6,400 euros! However, it hadn’t sold!
There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectable poster isn’t even close to being a possibility.
This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall.
