Frera Motorcycles c.1919 by Plinio Codognato | Vintage Italian Motorcycle Advertising Poster

Frera Motorcycles – A Fantastical Italian Motoring Poster by Plinio Codognato

Celebrate the speed, power, and irreverent humor of early Italian motorcycle advertising with Frera Motorcycles, an unforgettable 1919 vintage poster by celebrated Italian illustrator Plinio Codognato.

Created for Frera, the historic motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Tradate near Como, Italy, this wildly imaginative composition presents a red motorcycle racing diagonally through the darkness. At the handlebars sits a shaggy bear, while an enormous green elephant rides upright in the sidecar. Far ahead, a brightly dressed cyclist pedals frantically up the road.

The absurd animal passengers turn a demonstration of mechanical strength into a memorable comic adventure. By depicting a motorcycle capable of transporting a bear and elephant at high speed, Codognato humorously suggests extraordinary engine power, durability, carrying capacity, and dependable performance.

The bear leans intently over the handlebars, appearing fully engaged in controlling the machine. Its fur streams backward with the motion, reinforcing the impression of speed. The elephant rises confidently from the red sidecar, its trunk extended upward as though announcing the motorcycle’s arrival.

In the upper-left corner, a small cyclist dressed in yellow and red climbs away from the rapidly approaching motorcycle. The contrast between the modest pedal bicycle and the powerful motorized Frera creates a visual narrative about the changing future of transportation. Human effort appears no match for the speed and strength of the modern motorcycle.

The red Frera machine is illustrated with fascinating mechanical detail. Visible components include the exposed engine, fuel tank, frame, handlebars, wheels, suspension, headlamp, sidecar body, and luggage rack. White and blue streaks beneath the wheels simulate rapid movement across the dark roadway.

A small plate marked “38” and “1919” adds an authentic period detail to the machine. The motorcycle’s brilliant scarlet finish and metallic highlights stand in vivid contrast to the midnight-blue and black background, making the vehicle the unmistakable star of the advertisement.

Large golden-yellow “Frera” typography anchors the lower composition. Beneath it, blue lettering identifies the company’s establishments and administration in Tradate, then associated with the Como area. This regional information preserves the poster’s connection to the industrial history of Lombardy and early Italian motorcycle manufacturing.

Founded during the pioneering years of motorized transportation, Frera became one of Italy’s notable early motorcycle manufacturers. Posters such as this helped introduce the public to motorcycles as powerful, practical, and exciting machines capable of transforming personal mobility.

Plinio Codognato was renowned for energetic advertising compositions featuring automobiles, motorcycles, athletes, heroic figures, and exaggerated visual metaphors. In this Frera design, his combination of comic animals, strong diagonals, mechanical detail, and saturated color turns a commercial advertisement into a miniature action story.

Created immediately after World War I, the poster captures a period of renewed interest in engineering, mobility, manufacturing, and technological progress. Its bold imagery anticipates the speed, mechanical energy, and visual dynamism that would become central to Italian Art Deco and Futurist-influenced advertising during the 1920s.

This museum-grade reproduction makes a dramatic focal point in garages, workshops, motorcycle showrooms, dealerships, man caves, game rooms, offices, restaurants, industrial lofts, transportation museums, children’s rooms, and eclectic gallery walls. It also makes an exceptional gift for motorcyclists, mechanics, engineers, animal-art collectors, and enthusiasts of historic Italian transportation.

Why Collectors Love This Print

• Reproduces a spectacular 1919 Frera motorcycle advertisement by Plinio Codognato
• Features a bear driving a red motorcycle with an elephant in the sidecar
• Uses exaggerated animal passengers to symbolize power and carrying capacity
• Includes a cyclist fleeing ahead of the rapidly approaching motorcycle
• Displays fascinating details of an early Italian motorbike and sidecar
• Uses dramatic diagonal movement to communicate exceptional speed
• Celebrates the motorcycle-manufacturing heritage of Tradate and Lombardy
• Features a brilliant red, green, yellow, blue, and black color palette
• Preserves the original Frera name and Italian factory information
• Captures the excitement surrounding early motorized transportation
• Appeals to collectors of motorcycles, sidecars, animals, and Italian advertising
• Creates a playful focal point in garages, workshops, and game rooms
• Complements industrial, automotive, Art Deco, maximalist, and eclectic interiors
• Makes a memorable gift for riders, mechanics, engineers, and vintage-bike enthusiasts
• Preserves the energy and imagination of historic Italian commercial art

Available Print & Display Options

• Fine Art Prints – A versatile unframed option for custom framing and traditional gallery presentation
• Framed Fine Art Prints – Professionally presented for an elegant, ready-to-display appearance
• Gallery-Wrapped Canvas – A dimensional canvas format with the artwork wrapped around the edges
• Black Floater Frame Canvas – A dramatic presentation that integrates beautifully with the dark background
• White Floater Frame Canvas – A crisp contrasting option that highlights the colorful motorcycle and animals
• Brown Floater Frame Canvas – A warm finish suited to garages, offices, libraries, and traditional interiors
• Natural Floater Frame Canvas – A lighter organic presentation for transitional and eclectic spaces
• Metal Prints – An especially fitting contemporary format that enhances the machine details, speed lines, and vivid colors

Every format preserves the racing motorcycle, comic animal passengers, historic Frera branding, mechanical details, and dramatic impression of speed. Choose the material and presentation that best complements your collection or interior.

Artwork Details

• Title: Frera Motorcycles
• Artist: Plinio Codognato
• Date: 1919
• Country of Origin: Italy
• Location Referenced: Tradate, Lombardy, Italy
• Brand: Frera
• Original Purpose: Commercial motorcycle and transportation advertising
• Subject: Bear driving a motorcycle with an elephant riding in the sidecar
• Style: Vintage Italian automotive advertising, humorous animal illustration, and early modern commercial design
• Primary Colors: Black, midnight blue, scarlet red, green, golden yellow, white, and silver
• Notable Imagery: Motorcycle, sidecar, bear, elephant, cyclist, exposed engine, speed lines, and bold Frera typography
• Recommended Spaces: Garages, workshops, motorcycle showrooms, dealerships, offices, man caves, game rooms, restaurants, industrial lofts, and transportation collections

Disclaimer

This artwork is a Museum Grade Reproduction of a Historical advertising poster. It is not the original 1919 lithograph and is offered as a decorative fine-art reproduction. Minor variations in color, cropping, texture, and visible age-related characteristics may occur depending on the selected size, material, and display format.

Yesterday’s Posters is an independent seller and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Frera, Plinio Codognato, or any associated company, estate, institution, or rights holder.