Why is this young lady looking so anxious, whilst her husband fills the radiator with ‘Prestone’ anti-freeze? Maybe because she thinks he’s too late, because the snow is already falling. Anyway, collecting these kind of cans is a serious hobby nowadays, for instance by people like Bas de Voogd, or Mike Berry, better known as the ‘the two-gallon-can man’ who also wrote a booklet about the subject. Of course, when you look for a certain fuel can in particular, just list a wanted advert.

Watercolour by F.T.Steerwood, collection Rutger Booy

February 19, 2005

A rainy Sunday visit to the Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich turned up a gem like this painting by Russell Sidney Reeve. It dates from the very early forties and nowadays we find it hard to imagine the tranquillity of the passengers. We daren’t say what kind of coach this is. Perhaps a Bedford Waveny, as this type of coach was commonly used on the Felixstowe to Ipswich route?

oil on canvas; reproduction courtesy Ipswich Borough Council Museums and Galleries

February 12, 2005

When visiting London, PreWarCar enthusiasts should not miss the opportunity to visit the Michelin Building at 81 Fulham Road. Built in 1910 and used as a garage and tyre depot, it is now a famous restaurant. A cross between Art Deco ant Art Nouveau, the building has a style all of its own. On the front of the building is a stained-glass window that features the famous Bibendum. The walls - inside and outside - are adorned with 32 panels of ceramic tiles, depicting the early years of motor racing, especially the cars with Michelin tyres like this one of Louis Naudin driving his Sizaire et Naudin to win the 1907 Coupe des Voiturettes. The images on the tiles were drawn by Ernest Montaut, who will be the subject of a future story.


picture courtesy The Joy of Shards

not published

Some time ago we showed you the famous tiles on Michelin House in London. The images of these tiles were drawn by Ernest Montaut, who was -and still is quite famous for his motoring prints. Having observed the rapidly growing interest in cars and racing during the early years of motor cars, Ernest Montaut produced his first motoring prints in the mid-1890s, and by 1897, his drawings were pictorial records of the many races in France. Montaut's work was extremely well received in the Paris of his day and was shown in the fashionable shops of the Rue de l'Opera and Rue de la Paix, as well as in the better galleries.
Marguerite Montaut, Ernest's wife, joined him in his work producing not only racing prints but also developing a fine series of aviation prints commemorating such events as the first flights on the early European mail routes. While Marguerite Montaut's works were occasionally signed "M. Montaut", she also used the name "Gamy", an anagram for Magy.
The Gamy-Montaut prints were all produced by the pochoir process in which the outlines for each image were drawn onto lithographic stones and printed. Using these uncoloured prints as a template, elaborate stencils were cut for each colour. Watercolour was then brushed onto the image through the stencil. The colouring process was quite complex, with each print taking several days to produce. It was also quite labour intensive, and the studio of Gamy-Montaut therefore employed a group of trained artists, including Nevil and Campion, to assist in the colouring.

With thanks to Donald Heald Rare Books, Prints and Maps in New York, who not only kindly gave permission to publish the above watercolour, but also provided the text on Gamy-Montaut. For more prints click here

February 2, 2005