Dec 19, 2007 - Sale 2133

Sale 2133 - Lot 45

Price Realized: $ 3,360
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
WALTER THOR (1870-1929) PEUGEOT. Circa 1900.
57 1/2 x 41 inches. G. Elleaume.
Condition B+: repaired tears and restorations in margins and image; restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; restored loss in upper left margin.
Walter Thor was one of the turn-of-the-century artists designing posters for car and bicycle companies. Born in Munich, he studied in Paris for a few years and then returned to Germany. Peugeot, like many early car companies, had its origins in the bicycle manufacturing business. Here, in flat colors and with sharp outlining, Thor depicts an aristocratic lady surrounded by her dogs as she cycles towards a music pavilion. Although virtually devoid of Art Nouveau ornamentation, the graceful, winding bicycle path in the background serves to adorn the image much as a plume of smoke might in an image by Alphonse Mucha.