Lot 91: HENRI LEMAIRE (1879-1949) CIRCUIT DES 3 FLEUVES. 1914. 35x22 inches. Gouweloos Frere & Soeur, Brussels.

HENRI LEMAIRE (1879-1949) CIRCUIT DES 3 FLEUVES. 1914.
35 3/8x22 3/4 inches. Gouweloos Frere & Soeur, Brussels.
Condition B+: restored loss in right margin; repaired tears in margins; creases in margins and image.
"Under the auspices of the city of Brussels, L'Aero-Club de Belgique scheduled a contest for hydro-aeroplanes and hydrofoils for what proved to be the fateful summer of 1914. As part of the inaugural ceremonies planned to open the port of Brussels on the River Escaut, a competition was to have taken place over the circuit of three rivers: Escaut, Rhine and Meuse. But the affair was hastily canceled when war broke out in August and Belgium was overrun by the German army" (Looping the Loop p. 106). The event most likely would have been quite special, as the poster illustrates some of the finest flying boats of the early aviation era. "In the foreground is a close approximation of a Maurice Farman biplane taking off. Unmistakably, in the air above is a canard Voisin, while in the rear are what seem to be a Borel monoplane on floats and a Donnet-Leveque flying boat" (ibid). In addition to the incredible flying machines, the poster also portrays an early fan boat, and what improbably appears to be some form of jet-ski. Looping the Loop pl. 67.

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