BICYCLE RACE PROMOTION by TOULOUSE LAUTREC 1896 Poster
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec publicity poster from 1896. Constant Huret riding with a Simpson chain behind the Gladiator tandem pacer at the Velodrome de la Seine. The Simpson Chain or Simpson Lever Chain was an English-made bicycle chain invented by William Spears Simpson in 1895. The design departed from the standard roller bicycle chain: it was composed of linked triangles forming two levels. The inner level was driven by the chainring and the outer drove the rear cog. Instead of teeth, the chainring and cog had grooves into which the rollers of the chain engaged. Simpson made claims that the levers of this chain provided a mechanical advantage that could amplify energy produced by the cyclist. Simpson hired top cyclists such as Constant Huret (depicted in Toulouse-Lautrec's advertisement and Tom Linton (of Paris-Bordeaux fame), and the Gladiator Pacing Team from France to race for high stakes in England for the Chain Matches. His teams were largely successful.
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