VINTAGE POSTER (circa 1918 - 1920)
Puy de Sancy and Mont Dore (1,886 m - 6,188 ft)
France (Auvergne)
The Mountain
Puy de Sancy (1,886m - 6,188ft) in Auvergnat Puèi de la Crotz, (Mount of the Cross) is the highest mountain in the Massif Central, and the highest volcanic origin summit in France. It is part of an ancient stratovolcano which has been inactive for about 220,000 years and called Mont Dore. The northern and southern slopes are used for skiing, and a number of cablecars and skilifts ascend the mountain. Skiing has been practised on the mountain since the early 20th century. Two local priests (Jean-Baptiste Biot and his vicar) traversed, for the first time, the Puy de Sancy on skis, between 1902 and 1905. In 1936, a cable car link was built from Mont-Dore to one of the needles just below the summit. Super-Besse is another famous ski resort, located on the southwestern slope.
The valley to the north is also the source of two streams called Dore and Dogne, which unite to form the Dordogne River, which flows through the nearby spa town of Mont-Dore. The region is frequented since Roman Antiquity to nowadays as a famous place for hydrotherapy and the town of Mont-Dore, on its northern slope, has swimming pools since the Gallic period; the Romans installed baths there as well.
Vintage Posters
This poster typical of the design of the beginning of the 20th Century, is signed (on the left side) "Imprimerie Moderne M. De Brunhoff & Cie-Avenue de l'Observatoire, Paris". It is part of a large production of posters made to boast the merits of the hydrotherapy very up to date since the beginning of the 20th century in Europe. At that time, the Brunhoff family was illustrious in the world of French publishing and printing, specialized mainly in the art of living and fashion. Michel de Brunoff, the son of the printer who published this poster was be the editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1929 to 1954.
