Semaine d’Aviation de Lyon

Charles Tichon was an accomplished poster artist, Impressionist and Modernist. In the years following the Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk maiden heavier-than-air flight in 1903, aviation gripped the national consciousness in France. Tichon’s poster captures this newfound passion for flying and depicts bi-planes, hot air balloons and monoplanes flying over Lyon and the Rhone River in the glow of an orange-yellow sunset. An elegant lady waves at the soaring aviators amidst roses and Lyon’s coat of arms and in the backdrop, we see La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière. This poster is a classic document of early aviation. Printing House Emile Pécaud & Cie, 16 Rue Pierre Levée 34-10, Paris