Women only: A snapshot from the Journée Féminine de l'Automobile

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You are accustomed to us bringing you one Friday Lady, but today you have 23, and the background of this great photograph is just about as feminine as it can possibly be. The antics we see here were part of a ladies’ motoring festival known as the Journée Féminine de l’Automobile, a sumer event in the pre-war years held at the Montlhéry circuit, just south of Paris.

Starting in 1927, these events consisted of a whole range of motoring festivities organised by the women of the French Women’s Automobile Club and held for every female motoring enthusiast. There were air displays and celebrity appearances, and there was a concours d’élégance with cars decorated with Classical themes or dressed up with flowers. Racing was an important part of the show, too, with cars appearing in a number of classes. Among these, there was the Grand Prix Féminin, a sprint and a speed trial. Famous French driver Hellé Nice had, in fact, made her début at this very event in 1928, when she was still a nightclub dancer.

This picture is from the 1933 meeting when there was also a one-make race with Peugeot 301s, or so we understand. This car was probably one of them. The dancers seen on, in and beside it formed part of the show, too. We see the students of the École de Gymnastique et de Danse run by Irène Popard of Paris. As far as we could find out, the 1933 Journée Féminine de l’Automobile was the last of its kind organised at Montlhéry.

Words: Jeroen Booij
Picture: French National Library

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