LIGNES FARMAN / LES GRANDES EXPRESS AÉRIENS. 1930.
39 1/2x26 1/4 inches, 100 1/4x66 1/2 cm. Ch. Egler, Paris. Condition A- / B+: minor expertly-repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins; slight time-staining at edges; small loss in upper left corner.
Solon specialized in aviation posters. For a while he worked under contract with Farman Airlines, and went on to design memorable, Art Deco images for Air France, KLM and Lufthansa. Henri Farman (1874-1958) was an aviation pioneer who, in 1908, was the first man to fly a one kilometer circle on an observed course. Along with his brother Maurice, he was also among the first involved in the aircraft industry and the world of civil aviation. In this poster one can't help but see an echo of Cassandre's Nord Express, from 1927, in the color palette and perspective of the locomotive and telegraph wires. Of course here the plane is the subject, soaring far above the "sluggish" engine. The Farman company was founded in 1919 and was a forerunner of the Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA). In 1933, the SGTA was one of five airline companies that merged to form Air France. L'Histoire de l'Avaition p. 84.
