Gouache and pencil on paper Rene Vincent, a prominent French illustrator, was born in Bordeaux but moved to Paris at a young age. He studied at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts and initially wanted to become an architect. He became fascinated by automobiles and was one of the first people in France to have a driving license. His first automobile was a Berliet, and he soon began making illustrations of automobiles for books and magazines. In contrast to the prevailing norm in illustration at the time, where speed was a dominant theme, Vincent depicted everyday life with the automobile. He also had an eye for feminine beauty. After his move to America, he began working for, among others, Harpers Bazaar, The Saturday Evening Post, Bugatti, Peugeot, Georges Irat, Voisin and Minerva. From a patriotic point of view, Vincent presents in this original artwork the new Chenard et Walcker car in the French Tricolore. The same image can also be seen on the cover of the book Art and the Automobile by Douglas Tubbs. Note the spelling error of Walker without a c on the poster.
