1921 Le Sourire poster – Le Sourire No 233 Vintage Horse Riding Wall Art – Le Rallic

1921 Le Sourire poster – Vintage Horse Riding Wall Art – Le Rallic We think this incredible vintage 1921 Le Sourire poster will really make you smile if you’re a fan of horses. It’s actually the cover of Le Sourire magazine, and it’s guaranteed to make you happy. I mean, if this poster doesn’t make you smile, then I don’t know what will. So if you’re looking for something to brighten up your day and show off your love of horses, this poster is definitely the way to go! The image was created by the French illustrator and comic strip artist Étienne Le Rallic. In his design, Le Rallic has produced a captivating image of a young aristocrat riding joyously on her horse along the beach of Deauville. She looks exquisite in her ensemble, smartly attired in a vibrant red blouse in a red blouse with a black neck scarf, white jodhpurs and knee-length tan riding boots. Her outfit is topped off with a wide-brimmed hat to keep the morning sun out of her eyes. Her graceful horse with its glossy chestnut coat is accentuated with a white blaze on its head, black legs and white socks. The gelding looks stunning as it gallops along the water’s edge. The image is set against the backdrop of a moody sky and grey rocks that jut out from the lapping sea and line the shore. The perfect accompaniment to their excursion is this young lady’s exuberant pup following close behind as they move along the water’s edge. The illustration first appeared on the cover of the Octobre 1921 edition of Le Sourire magazine with the caption “Sur La Plage Franco-Americaine de Deauville” which translates as “On the Franco-American beach of Deauville”. Deauville Horse Posters Deauville has a long association with horse racing. Deauville’s first racecourse, the Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques, originally called Hippodrome de la Touques was constructed in 1862 by Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de Morny, the half-brother of Napoleon III. The racetrack in the Calvados department of Normandy, France is well-known for its thoroughbred flat racing. A second racetrack, the Deauville-Clairefontaine racecourse, was inaugurated in the town in 1928. Deauville-Clairfontaine holds races in the three disciplines of trotting, flat racing and jumping (hurdles and steeplechase). Deauville is also considered to be the main horse breeding region in France and home to many stud farms. Over the decades this association with horses has been reflected in many vintage travel posters, horse racing and horse show events. Some of the best that immediately spring to mind include the stunning 1930 Deauville poster created by Pierre Commarmond. It’s an art deco classic featuring a white silhouette of a horse and jockey talking to a young woman with a dog set against a sky-blue background and sea.  In the distance below the dog, the white sails of sailing boats sit on the ocean. At the top of the page is a small aeroplane, the method of transport to get from London to Deauville in 60 minutes by air. Another is the superb 1948 poster created by Michel Jacquet which advertises the 1948 Deauville Concours Hippique. It features a beautiful image of a young equestrian woman dressed in a traditional black polo outfit riding side-saddle on her white steed. The image is enhanced by the green turf on the pitch and the tall trees that line the edge of the racetrack at Deauville – La Touques. Another classic poster by the same artist is Jacquet’s beautiful, bold and dramatic rendering of a polo match in progress. The poster is titled Deauville Saison de Polo and depicts the two teams of four riders competing on horseback. It’s hard to single out a fourth but we’ve selected one that is more Deauville related than horses. It’s a poster created by the French artist Roger de Valerio in 1935 for the Chemins de Fer de L’Etat or the French State Railways. Rather than a particular image Valerio has created an ariel map of the entire French seaside resort including the seafront, beach, promenade, recreational area, port, harbour and its two famous racecourses with the Église Saint-Augustin de Deauville in between. The Deauville Film Festival Deauville, situated on the Northern Coast of France, is an enchanting seaside town that has captivated the hearts of film enthusiasts across the globe. Since 1975, Deauville’s reputation as an iconic destination for cinema lovers is well-deserved, thanks in no small part to its annual world-renowned film festival that draws in the biggest movie stars from around the world. The town’s breathtaking scenery of undulating sand dunes, bluffs and quaint cobblestone streets is a testament to its enduring appeal when it comes to hosting outstanding cinematic events. Whether basking in the sunshine on the sandy beaches or strolling along the lavish Promenade des Planches boardwalk lined with horse boxes, visitors can’t help but feel as though they’ve been transported back in time to a bygone era. It’s little wonder that Deauville has become synonymous with sophisticated vacations and glamorous entertainment on the international stage. Over the course of 45 years, the festival has played host to an impressive array of A-listers from the world of American and international cinema. Legendary stars such as Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as contemporary icons like Julia Roberts, John Travolta, and George Clooney, have all graced the festival’s red carpet. The Deauville Film Festival is renowned for launching American blockbusters and independent films in France, making it an essential event on the global cinematic calendar. Étienne Le Rallic Etienne Le Rallic was a French illustrator and comic artist who gained recognition during the 1930s through the 1950s. He began his career in 1910 with the publication of his first drawings in Le Rire. From an early age, Le Rallic was fascinated with horses, which is evident in many of his works. In fact, he even fulfilled his military service with the cavalry and created drawings of horses for army publications. Later on, Le Rallic shifted his focus to humoristic drawings, which he created for various magazines such as Le Pêle-Mêle, Le Sourire, La Chronique Amusant, Fantasio, La Baïonette, Le Régiment, La Via Parisienne, Pages Folles, Bagatelle, and Frou-Frou. He even used the pseudonym Smile on some of his works. In 1926, Le Rallic began to work in a more realistic style for the publishing house Montsouris, illustrating novels for magazines such as Guignol, Lisette, and Pierrot. He also contributed to Lili, Le Bon Point Amusant, L’Intrépide, La Semaine de Suzette, and Coeurs Vaillants. Le Rallic was a versatile artist, even delving into M/F and F/F spanking art illustrations under the pseudonym R. Fanny in the 1930s. Some of his best-known works include monochrome golden-brown illustrations for the spanking novel La Volupté du Fouet by Armand du Loup (1939). In 1935, he collaborated with Marijac on ‘Les Premières Aventures de Flic et Piaff’, a black-and-white book published by Gordinne. This first attempt led Le Rallic to devote himself increasingly to comics, and from 1938 onwards, he contributed to a wide range of magazines. These include Pierrot (‘Le Réveil des Sioux’, ‘Josélito’, Un Spahi’), Hurrah! (‘Le Masque Rouge’), O Lo Lê, Coq Hardi (‘Ponchos Libertas’, ‘Capitaine Flamberge’, ‘Le Chevalier à l’Églantine’), Pic et Nic, Cadet Journal, France-Soir Jeudi, Sabord, and Bob et Bobette. In the 1940s and 1950s, Etienne Le Rallic focused more on comics and specialised in drawing realistic Western and Colonial Adventure comics. He also illustrated children’s books and other publications, showcasing his versatility as an artist. Le Rallic’s career spanned a wide range of genres and styles, from humorous drawings to spanking illustrations, realistic illustrations to children’s books, and of course, his iconic Western and Colonial Adventure comics. His legacy as one of France’s most prominent illustrators and comic artists of the mid-20th century lives on to this day. Le Sourire Magazine The name “Le Sourire” meaning “The Smile” has been given to two French periodicals. The first was a shortlived French monthly magazine published by the French artist Paul Gauguin which ran between August 1899 and April 1900. Over the eight-month period, Gauguin managed to produce nine editions of the magazine. It was, in part, inspired by the popular Parisian periodical Le Rire. The magazine contained satirical copy, supported by Gauguin’s pen and ink illustrations, screen print designs and woodcuts. Those first nine editions are admired by art critics and historians today and were an influence on many artists that followed. The second version was printed on 25 August 1900, four months after the demise of Gauguin’s magazine. Under the supervision of Maurice Méry, the magazine became a humorous weekly newspaper which survived from August 1899 right up to 1940. The revived magazine was known as Le Sourire de France and had more risque content. It also featured a large number of cartoons in colour and black and white and frequently featured covers with pin-up style art and jokes. Over the years several well-known French writers and artists produced work for the magazine. Between 1910 and 1930 contributions by iconic illustrators such as Georges Léonnec, Suzanne Meunier and Maurice Milliére and of course, the artist behind this fabulous cover illustration Étienne Le Rallic.