Beschreibung:

A group of 3 scrap albums compiled by Charles Arnault, Vice-President du Comite permanent des Fetes, Cholet, 1910-14, the first folder of 7 pages including wrappers relating to the Grandes Fetes d'Aviation on 14-17 [& 24] July 1910, official programme cover and title pasted to upper wrapper, printed festival broadside and duplicate (22.5 x 28 cm) pasted and partly tipped in, other items tipped in including news cuttings relating to the event, a printed menu, a drawing 'Plan de l'Aerodrome de la Papiniere', two tickets, a printed letterpress poster on buff paper (122 x 40 cm), loose items including a letter on Charles Arnault letterhead, an official programme, 20 pp., Charles Arnault's visiting card, plus two letters from G. Frappier (Grand Garage, Cholet) to Arnault concerning meetings for the organisation of the event; the 1912 scrap album of 23 pp. concerning the meeting for Circuit d'Aviation de L'Anjou for the Cholet leg of the triangular race, 16-17 June 1912, printed broadside and two commemorative stamps pasted to upper cover, the other items in the album including two folded examples of a colour lithograph poster by Lessieux & Carrey, Grand Prix d'Aviation de l'Aero-Club de France, circuit d'Anjou, Les Editions Nationales, Paris, 1912, both tipped into album on facing leaves at rear with one small panel pasted in, colours largely bright and fresh, minor marks and marginal splits, a few old tape repairs to verso, the larger poster 160 x 119 cm (64 x 47.5 ins), the smaller poster with 'Cholet 16-17 juin 1912' strip pasted to lower margin, 104 x 75 cm (41.5 x 30 ins), a third large letterpress poster printed in red on yellow, 123 x 185 cm (49 x 74 ins), other items including numerous pasted in news cuttings, a tipped-in four page newspaper, Cholet d'Aviation, three duplicate small letterpress posters printed on green, blue and pink, each 42 x 15 cm, a plan of the course, a rules and prizes poster, 47 x 31 cm, eight commemorative stamps, five technical drawings/sketch designs on tracing paper (of pylons?), an official programme plus loose programmes published by Le Journal, Le Petit Parisien, Le Matin, three issues of the Vie au Grand Air, two tickets, and a few other items; the third album Grand Meeting d'Aviation de Cholet, 1914, 7 pp., including news cuttings, a letterpress place and date banner for the large poster in the following lot (41.5 x 122 cm), official programme tipped in and duplicate upper cover pasted to upper wrapper, all buff paper albums, folio, 61 x 34.5 cm (24 x 13.5 ins) A unique and historically important archive relating to early French aviation. The first of the three aviation meetings at Cholet in western France took place in July 1910. Three airmen were engaged to demonstrate flying distances, manoeuvres and altitude. The airmen were Leon Versepuy, Emile Obre and Roland Garros who had just gained his pilot's licence. The more famous second event took place in June 1912 when 35 machines were entered into a triangular race between Angers - Cholet - Saumur - Angers. It was a 97-mile circuit flown between 9 am and 7.30 pm, three times on Sunday, 16 June, and four times the next day, making a total of 684 miles. Of the 35 registered participants, 28 aviators qualified, and 11 took off. Due to poor weather conditions, the race was a disaster, but it was won by Roland Garros. At the back of the scrap album for the 1912 event are both size versions of the famous colour poster by Lessieux & Carrey. The third and final meeting in Cholet took place on 15 March 1914, just five months before the outbreak of the First World War. Once again poor weather interfered but not without Roland Garros attempting and succeeding in the newly fashionable loop the loop (see following lot). To an amazed audience of thousands the legendary Garros completes the manoeuvre and finally lands 'with the grace and lightness of a butterfly landing on a flower'. (3)