Anonymous - Semaine d'Aviation de Chênée (Liège) - 1910s

Lot title
Original Poster (1910) - Chênée Aviation Week (Liège) - Ferdinand Verschaeve "The Liège Devil"

Lot description

An exceptional and extremely rare original advertisement poster from the period (1910), issued to mark the 10th anniversary of the committee “Chênée-Attractions” for the “Aviation Week” organized from 18 to 25 September 1910 in Chênée (Liège, Belgium). This historic and ephemeral document highlights the pioneer of Belgian aviation Ferdinand Verschaeve (1876–1914), famously known under the pseudonym of the “Liège Devil.” The central illustration features an exclusive photogravure of the aviator at the controls of his aeroplane.

Breveted among Belgium’s very first pilots, Verschaeve was not only a meeting flyer but also the chief pilot instructor and principal test pilot for Bollekens establishments (Aéroplanes Jéro). In this capacity, he was entrusted by the government to train the first Belgian military aviation officers on the Sint-Job-in-’t-Goor field. His career was tragically cut short on 8 April 1914 when his aircraft crashed in flight during a test, making him one of the pioneer martyrs in the conquest of the skies.

The document is signed by the renowned “Photogravure Sacré Liège,” a leading printing workshop recognized for the technical quality of its photomechanical reproductions in Liège at the beginning of the 20th century.

Event: Chênée Aviation Week (10th Anniversary of Chênée-Attractions)
Date: September 1910
Subject: Ferdinand Verschaeve (The Liège Devil)
Dimensions: 56 x 37.2 cm (canvas overflow of 5 cm to allow framing)
Exclusive note of authentic period rarity at the bottom of the page:
“This photogravure cannot be reproduced nor sold on a postcard except by the care of the Committee.”

Condition:
The poster is in its original state, backed on cotton canvas without primer with Bolloré barrier paper (neutral and acid-free). General condition is reasonable for a paper document dating back more than 115 years. The poster retains its original bluish color. Note: an old stain visible in the lower margin (below the central mast illustration) and a small tear in the lower right corner. These minor defects are now perfectly stabilized and immobilized thanks to the backing. Visible folds, small chips at the upper left corner of the image, tacks holes, stains. Logical handling traces along the edges due to its age. The document is sound, the paper is not brittle, and it is ready to be framed.
(Please carefully examine the photos for state details).
A museum piece, a collectible sought after both by enthusiasts of early aviation history (pre-war) and by collectors of Liège region local history.