DISRAELI DOCUMENTS

T.C.F. Revue Mensuelle
May 1908 - de Vive advert

T.C.F. Revue Mensuelle May 1908 - de Vive advert main image

This small ad is for an Æolus tandem with a de Vivie gear system.

It is always handy to have a brand name that is difficult to say, difficult to spell and difficult to type, so Æolus looks to be an all-round winner. What is more, the one name ‘Æolus’ is attributed to three different figures in classical mythology - so it is not even clear whose attributes you are trying to associate with your brand. Like a Pot Noodle, it’s so wrong but it feels so right.

The person who placed this ad, Monsieur Matocq, of 285 Rue de Vaugirard in Paris, has derailleur inventing form in his own right. He held French Patent # 448,304, dating from 1912, and was appearing in the literature as late as 1922.

(Source gallica.bnf.fr/ Bibliothèque nationale de France)