During World War I, the Union Française Comité de Prevoyance et d'Economies held a poster design competition for French schoolchildren. The posters' message was to encourage citizens to conserve resources. Each winning poster, which was then printed for distribution, focused on a specific resource, such as sugar, tobacco, or, quelle surprise, wine. Somehow, one of the printed posters turned up at Gallerie Rouge, a small Denver shop that specializes in vintage European posters. Appearing no heavier than a piece of tissue paper, it was in pristine condition on a linen backing.
Although the poster cost more than we have ever paid for a piece of art, we were completely smitten by the image and its back story. Our poster exhorts French citizens to save the gas used in early 20th century lamps. The young artist's name was Jeanne Fapaurnou.
I discovered a website that has images and descriptions of other posters in the series. I'm particularly taken with the poster below, and told the Gallerie Rouge owner that if she can find it for me, I'll buy it, too. ("I am a brave chicken of war. I eat little and produce much.")
Final note: The wine poster in the series is available in a modern reproduction.
1 comment:
how fun!
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