The Simpson Chain

This poster represents Lautrec’s final design for an advertisement for a bicycle lever chain recently invented by the London manufacturer W. S. Simpson. Competitive cyclist Constant Huret rides a bicycle equipped with the device, speeding on to victory with its help. This poster sports a much more dynamic composition than the artist’s previous attempt, as well as a more realistic depiction of bicycles, despite the four- and five-seaters in the background.