LA PREMIER MARQUE DU MONDE
We have the honour of holding the Royal Warrants as cycle manufacturers to HM King Edward VII and HRH The Prince of Wales. We supplied His Majesty – then Prince of Wales – in 1896 with his first Humber tricycle, and he has ridden this and others made by us ever since. Our patrons will appreciate the fact that the King is not only partial to the cycle of his choice, but that His Majesty rides no other cycle than the Humber.
– Introduction to the 1909 Humber Sales Catalogue
LA PREMIER MARQUE DU MONDE was the company’s byline in France. Humber helped to kickstart the French cycle industry: various shops took on a Humber agency before they started making their own bicycles. After French Humber merged with Gladiator, Clement and other companies in 1896, the Paris depot became more separate from the British concern, though the bicycles were still made in the British factories and assembled in France.
1913 Beeston Humber Gentlemen’s Light Roadster
No 2 Model
(Paris Depot)
25″ Frame
28″ Wheels
Frame No 153286
(Now sold)
It’s unusual to find a Humber with a transfer (decal) showing the Paris Depot address – 23 Ave des Champs Elysees.
The No 2 Model signifies that it does not have 3-speed gears.
This example is a bit scruffy, but a rare survivor.
1909 HUMBER CATALOGUE
1894 HUMBER:
LA PREMIER MARQUE DU MONDE