Casino de Paris/Grand International Championnat du Monde de Lutte
Artist
Designer Unknown
Printer
Lith. G. Bataille, Paris
France
Date1907
Dimensions49 1/2 x 35 3/4 in. (125.7 x 90.8 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LineGift of Peter A. Blatz
Object numberPH.128
DescriptionBy the end of the 19th century, wrestling was the most popular sport in Europe, but it had been largely an amateur affair, confined to circuses, fairgrounds, and backrooms. This changed in the early 20th century, not least in Paris. The international wrestling world championship promoted here was sponsored by L’Auto, the premiere illustrated sports newspaper in the city since 1903 (the year in which it organized the very first Tour de France cycle race). (The central image in this extremely spare design appears to be based on a print showing the figures wrestling in an arena surrounded by spectators in top hats.) Newspapers like L’Auto in particular, and its rival, Le Vélo, played a key role in establishing sporting events as popular spectacles, creating a sense of collective experience not only through their published descriptions but also by organizing actual events like the one advertised here at the Casino de Paris. Between 1905 and 1910, L’Auto was involved in the organization of 42 wrestling events, most of them in 1907. Once the sport became a spectacle, it allowed the newspaper and others involved to more fully monetize it, and also led to the gradual professionalization of the sport. The Casino itself was not a gambling institution as the name might imply but had been a performance venue since about 1730. In 1880, it began to present wrestling events, among others, until World War I, when it became a cinema and music hall. On View
Not on view
