Art Deco Figurative Photography

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Wide World Photos, Paris. A street view of Boulevard Montmartre in Paris, circa 1930. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Wide World Photos. A car race in France, circa 1920. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print Photograph framed. Press Photogr...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Agence Meurisse Photographer. Car race in Boulogne sur Mer, France, circa 1911. The French pilot Rene Thomas is speeding in ...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Agence Meurisse Photographer. Car race in Boulogne sur Mer, France, circa 1911. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print Phot...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Adolphe Picoche - a car race in France circa 1920. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print Photography framed. Press Photogra...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Press Agency Rol. Car race in Boulogne, France, September 21, 1913. This is a rare photograph of the Sunbeam racer driven by legendary driver Jean Chassagne during the 1913 Coupe de l'Auto in Boulogne. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print Photograph framed. Press Photograph. Press Agency: Agence ROL Photographer: Unknown Title: Car Race, 1913. Provenance: Private collection. Frame Size: 15.75 in. high (40 cm) x 15.75 in. wide (40 cm) x 0.63 in. deep (1.5 cm). Image Size: 4.61 in. high (11.7 cm) x 6.61 in. wide (16.8 cm). Ink Stamp at the Back: ROL - Paris IXe. There is an unreadable hand-written caption on the negative at the bottom of the photograph. The hand-written caption at the back reads "Chassagne avec Sunbeam" - (Chassagne with Sunbeam). Check the last pictures for images of Jean Chassagne and images of the Sunbeam racecar of 1913. Note: Jean Chassagne (July 26, 1881 - April 13, 1947) was a pioneer submariner, aviator, and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix, won the 1922 Tourist Trophy, and finished second in the 1925 Le Mans Grand Prix - all in Sunbeam motorcars. He finished second in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with a Ballot, set speed records, and won races at Brooklands and hill climbs international. Chassagne was also associated with the Bentley Boys, who are known for having captured the spirit of the times, partying as hard as they worked. Larger than life, their restless and often reckless love of speed and adventure complemented perfectly the big green Bentleys from Cricklewood. As a result of his association with Bentley Motors, a Chassagne Square in Crewe was named in his honor. Chassagne applied to serve as a pilot during the Great War, but under the request of the British Admiralty, he joined Sunbeam to advise, develop and test aero engines for the war effort. (Credit: Wikipedia) The Coupe de l'Auto in Boulogne took place on 21 September 1913 as a separate event, and Sunbeam set out to defend its previous victory with three cars similar to those used in 1912. Jean Chassagne, Dario Resta, and Kenelm Lee Guinness drove the cars on a tougher course near Boulogne. Unfortunately, the team fell short of the resounding success of the previous year. Both Chassagne and Resta were forced to retire with broken rear axles, but luckily Guinness, the only team member to finish the race, saved the day by coming in 3rd, nine minutes behind the winner at an average speed of 61.45m.p.h. Results: Coupe de l’Auto in Boulogne, Sunbeam 4cyl 3L, Car no. 4, Jean Chassagne and A P Mitchell...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Agence Meurisse Photographer. Car race in Boulogne sur Mer, France, 25th June 1911. This is a rare photography...

An original silver gelatin black and white photography by Keystone View Company. A car race in France, circa 1920. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print Photograph framed. Press Ph...

A unique original silver gelatin black and white photography by Agence Meurisse, Paris. The construction of the Airship R101, circa 1929. Features: Original silver gelatin print photography unframed. Press photograph. Press agency: Meurisse, Paris. Photographer: Anonymous. Title: The construction of the airship R101, circa 1929. Provenance: Private collection. Image Size: 6.06 in. high (15.4 cm) x 4.61 in. wide (11.7 cm) - Archivally matted in a 17 in. x 13 in. mat. Caption and credit are typed at the back. "Le nouveau dirigeable anglais R101 qui vient d'etre terminé et dont les essais auront lieu prochainement. Ce rigide est plus important que le Zeppelin, puisqu'il jauge 141,000 metres cubes alors que le Zeppelin ne cube que 105,000 metres - Photo Meurisse". ("The new British airship R101 which has just been completed and which will be tested shortly. This rigid is more important than the Zeppelin, since it gauges 141,000 cubic meters while the Zeppelin only gauges 105,000 cubic meters - Photo Meurisse".) The piece will be shipped in a mat (17 x 13 in.) that fits a standard-sized frame. About: R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a British government program to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry–appointed team and was effectively in competition with the government-funded but privately designed and built R100. When built, it was the world's largest flying craft at 731 ft (223 m) in length, and it was not surpassed by another hydrogen-filled rigid airship until the Hindenburg flew seven years later. After trial flights and subsequent modifications to increase lifting capacity, which included lengthening the ship by 46 ft (14 m) to add another gasbag, the R101 crashed in France (in Beauvais) during its maiden overseas voyage on 5 October 1930, killing 48 of the 54 people on board. Among the passengers killed were Lord Thomson, the Air Minister who had initiated the program, senior government officials, and almost all the dirigible designers from the Royal Airship Works. The crash of R101 effectively ended British airship development and was one of the worst airship accidents of the 1930s. The loss of life was more than the 36 killed in the highly public Hindenburg disaster of 1937, though fewer than the 52 killed in the French military Dixmude in 1923, and the 73 killed when the USS Akron...

An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Lauro Bordin, Milano - Departure of the car race in Monza, Italy, 1936. Features: Original Silver Gelatin Print Photograph fr...

Title: Untitled Medium: Silver gelatin Measurements: 7¾" x 11¾" Framing: Framed Condition: Excellent