Snell American Cycles
Lithography on paper
Eugène Ogé was a French poster artist, illustrator and caricaturist. He began as an apprentice to Charles Verneau and in his spare time, he studied at the Académie Julian where he developed an admiration for Jules Chéret. In the 1890’s he opened his own workshop initially under contract to Verneau and later to Pierre Vercasson.
Ogé’s skill as a lithographer can be seen in the way he can express his message in just a few colours. Here we see the promotion of a Snell American Cycle. American bicycle brands flooded the European market in 1896 and Europeans still had to adjust to this new mode of transport. The French horse drawn carriage driver lazily studies his far more energetic American counterpart on a bicycle.
Printing house Charles Verneau, 114 Rue Oberkampf, Paris