La Chaîne Simpson
1896 · Colour lithograph (poster) · Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
- Year
- 1896
- Medium
- Colour lithograph (poster)
- Original size
- 87 × 124 cm
- Collection
- Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris (department of Prints and Photography)
- Movement
- Post-Impressionism
A racing cyclist in blue leans over his machine, paced by a tandem, while the track curves away under a crowd and the English promoter Louis Bouglé, known as Spoke, stands in the foreground with the cycling pioneer Tristan Bernard. Toulouse-Lautrec designed the poster in 1896 for the Simpson lever chain, after a trip to London with Bouglé to see the chain raced; a first design was rejected because the chain was drawn wrongly. His enthusiasm for the velodromes of the 1890s shows in the lean of the rider and the speed of the yellow track. Printed by Chaix, Paris. The impression reproduced is in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A horizontal race scene in blue and yellow, for a garage, home gym, hallway or bike-lover's study at 24×16 or 36×24 in thin black, no mat. It suits a white or grey wall and pairs with Cycle Michael.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Post-Impressionism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1896)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- decorative, sophisticated
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, home gym, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×16. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — dark wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is La Chaîne Simpson in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was La Chaîne Simpson painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
