“Bois Colombres”

M. Campion

Signed “M. Campion” lower left, inscribed “M. Campion_Bois Colombres_Copyright_1912,” lower right

The offering here is a product of the early transportation art created in the Montaut-Gamy Studio by one of the very accomplished collaborating artists, M. Campion in 1912.

The work is in pristine condition, with none of usual fading and paper damage often associated with these works. Framing and matting are excellent as well, with the layered matting artistically conforming to the image.

Overall size is 40 ½” x 24 ½”, with image size 32” x 15 ½”

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 uncolored prints as a template, elaborate stencils were cut for each color. Watercolor was then brushed onto the image through the stencil. The coloring process was quite complex, with each print taking several days to produce. It was also quite labor intensive, and the studio of Gamy-Montaut therefore employed a group of trained artists, including Nevil and Campion, to assist in the coloring.

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 record a wide range of historical events in the early history of transportation, including Power Boat Racing, Motorcycle and Motor Car Racing, Motor Car Touring, and Zeppelins.

Credit to Donald Heald of New York for much of the historical information provided here.

Please have a look at other original paintings and drawings listed which were the original artwork from which the lithographic stones were created.