France - Document - Courses hippiques de Nantes / Laval / Saint-Étienne / Rennes - 1911

An exceptional and coherent set of original historical archives consisting of 6 official programs for horse races (trot and flat) in the West of France, covering the period from the Belle Époque to the early 1920s.
This lot, of great thematic value and local history, includes:
• Laval (1911): Complete program for the two race days (Sunday 24 and Monday 25 September 1911). Price at the time: 0.25 centimes.
• Laval (1912): Official program of Monday 30 September 1912.
• Laval (1913): Complete program for the two days (Sunday 28 and Monday 29 September 1913), printed less than a year before the outbreak of World War I. A perfect consecutive trilogy for the city of Laval (1911-1912-1913).
• Rennes (1911): Large official program of the Summer Meeting (Monday 10 July 1911) with the city of Rennes’ official heraldic crest.
• Nantes (1911): Official complete booklet for Wednesday 24 May 1911 at the Petit-Port Racecourse. Includes the rare original central engraved map of the racecourse, perfectly preserved.
• Vitré (1921): Complete 4-page booklet for Sunday 12 June 1921 at the Saint-Étienne Racecourse. Important historical document bearing the official approvals printed by the Mayor and Senator of Ille-et-Vilaine (G. Garreau) and by the Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture (A. Puis) [Le Petit Parisien].
Condition:
Excellent overall condition for everyday paper documents of that era. The booklets are absolutely complete, with no missing pages, and with text and tables perfectly legible. The antique paper is well preserved, with very light and natural foxing that attests to their authenticity.
An ideal lot for collectors of postal history, ephemera, horse racing/turf, and local history of the Pays de la Loire and Brittany regions of France.