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de Soete was born in Brussels and began exhibiting in the Paris Salon around 1929. Belgian marque Minerva tapped him to create a distinctive mascot for their brand. This stately and impressive Art Deco mascot was exclusive to their 8-cylinder limousines, making it extremely rare.
Pierre-Jean DE SOETE
c. 1930
France and Commerce
French Mascots of 1920s
Collection of Jon N. Zoler
This is a very rare document from 1896. At the time the term automobile had not been coined, you will notice they refer to them as Locomotives.
This document is extraordinarily significant to motoring in Britain. It freed British motorists from having to have a man walking in front to warn of their approach (the Red Flag Man), upped the speed limit from 4 mph to 14 mph - but local councils mostly instantly reduced it to 12 mph - and was the reason why Harry Lawson's Motor Car Club organized the Emancipation Day run to Brighton when the Act came into force on November 14, 1896. Which is why we've been celebrating the freedom of the roads with the Brighton Run in November since 1927.
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