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Title: Concours d’Avions de Tourisme |
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Description: This French poster advertises the Tourist Airplane Contest or Concours d’Avions de Tourisme in Nantes. The two day competition, held July 22 – 23, 1922 was held at the Du Bêle Military Field and was sponsored by the Aéro-Club de l’Atlantique, under the patronage of France’s Undersecretary of Aviation and Aero Space. The Aéro-Club de l’Atlantique was just one of many aéro clubs, or flying clubs, in France at the time. Between 1913 and 1932, as aviation’s popularity exploded, recreational aéro clubs flourished throughout Europe and in the United States. Military aéro clubs proliferated as well and by the end of WWI in 1918, “all combatants had established military air services.” |
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One of the most notable aéro clubs was the Aéro-Club d’France. The Aéro-Club d’France’s 1911 gala is an excellent representation of the club’s glamour and prestige of the organization. The swanky soirée, hosted at the National Opera House, was intended to celebrate the “glory of French [aviation] innovation.” The evening also included a performance of Ballet de Patrie, ballet of the homeland, placing aviation on the same cultural pedestal as the coveted French art of ballet. The event is not only an example of how French aéro clubs created a new elite social niche, but also exemplifies the patriotism imbued in the aviation revolution – particularly as France dominated as the international leader in aviation. |
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