FRENCH AND AMERICAN
POSTER ART -
FIRST WORLD WAR
We are pleased to
announce the acquisition of an important collection of
French and American Posters of the World War I era
The collection consists of French
and American WWI propaganda posters (1914-1919). Wartime posters were not solely
used to recruit men to the military cause. Many posters commonly urged wartime
thrift, and were vocal in seeking funds from the general public via subscription
to various war bond schemes (usually with great success).
Most of the posters offered here
are multi-color lithographs. Sizes range approximately 47 x 31 inches (or the
reverse) and smaller. Each poster is priced separately.
Artists include George Dorival; “Sem”; Jules Abel Faivre; Maurice Neumont; Lieut. Jean Droit;
Eugene Courboin; Geoges Scott; Dominique Charles Fouqueray; E. Dunn;
Cushman Parker; Horace Devitt Welsh; William Crawford Young; Alfred Everitt Orr;
and others.
A sampling of a few of the posters:
Page 1
“Pour la France Versez Votre Or” (“Give Your Gold for France”) “L’Or Combat
Pour La Victoire” (“Gold Fights for Victory”)
Size: 44½ x 31
Sponsor La Société des Amisdes Artistes
Artist: Jules Abel Faivre
Date: 1915
Printer: Devambez Imp.
Paris
Price:
SOLD
Image: The image covers the whole, with the title placed across
the top and the subtitle along the foot, both
in black. A startled German
soldier buckles under the weight of a huge gold Franc coin. The cockerel
embossed on
the coin breaks away to menace the German further.
Notes: Linen-backed with linen extending 2½” above the top of
the poster. The gold coin is dated 1915. A very
nice example.
History:
Sponsored and published by the Society of Friends of Artists, apparently in 1915
(the date given
on the coin).
“Un dernier effort et on l’aura”
(“One last try and we’ll have it”)
Size: 47 x 31
Artist: Eugene Courboin
Printer: Imp. Cornille & Serre, Paris (Visa 13.625)
Price: $500.
Image: A French soldier climbing a rock high into the sky with
allied soldiers following close behind, atop
the rock is an iron cross emblem
with the German eagle on top, blood pouring from its talons.
Notes: Linen-backed with linen extending 2½” above the top of
the poster. A fine example.
History:
This poster was published in 1918 just after the Americans had entered the
conflict. The artist,
Eugene Courboin, was a well known French illustrator of
the Art Nouveau period. He was especially known
for his book illustrations,
often printed in the hand-colored, stenciled, style known as Pochoir. Here, he
depicts
the allied soldiers coming close to defeating the German enemy.
“For Home and Country - Victory Liberty Loan”
Size: 40 x 30
Sponsor: Victory Liberty
Loan
Artist: Alfred Everitt Orr
Date: 1918
Printer: American Lithographic Co. N.Y. (2 OC)
Price: $300.
Image: A U.S. doughboy in
uniform, just back from the war, with his son in his arms and his wife by his
side.
Notes: Two light creases (vertical and horizontal) because of
folding.
History:
The artist, born in 1886 in New York, was active in San
Gabriel CA during 1919-1925 and then settled
in John Singer Sargent's old studio
in London. Here, he depicts a
soldier, having returned from the front, with his young
boy and his wife. This
poster was published in 1918 just after the Americans had entered the conflict.
“Pour le Drapeau! Pour la Victoire! - Souscrivez à l’Emprunt National au
Crédit
du Sud-Ouest Bordeaux...” (“Subscribe to the National Loan with
the Credit of South-West Bordeaux.”)
Size: 47 x 31
Artist: Georges Scott
Date: 1917
Printer: Devambez_Imp.
Paris. (VISA_No. 9.498)
Price:
SOLD
Image: A magnificent and quite graphic image which covers the
whole sheet, with the title integrated and
placed in the top right corner.
Further text is set across the foot of the poster. “Marianne” (Lady Liberty)
stands
centrally, sword held aloft in her right hand and a war-torn Tricolor
grasped in her left hand. In the background massed
formations of French troops
follow her into battle. The text in the upper right corner reads: “Pour le Drapeau! Pour la
Victoire!” (“For the Flag! For Victory!”)
Notes: Linen-backed with linen extending 2½” above the top of
the poster. A very nice example.
History:
The text on this poster is a variant (quite rare!). Most often, the text at the
bottom of this poster reads,
"Souscrivez à l’Emprunt National les Souscriptions
sont Reçues a Paris et en Province a la Banque
Nationale de Crédit."
The poster was issued for the Third National Loan in 1917.
Both variants were sponsored by the Banque Nationale de
Crédit.
“On Ne Passe Pas! 1914-1918.”
(“No One Shall Pass! 1914-1918”)
Size: 46½ x 31
Sponsor: Union des Grandes Associations Françaises contre la
propagande ennemie. (Union of the Great
French
Associations against enemy propaganda.)
Artist: Maurice Neumont
Date: 1918
Printer: Devambez. Gr._Paris. (VISA No. 13.037)
Price: $650.
Image: The image covers the entire sheet, with the title
incorporated. Further text is positioned at the bottom,
in red. A French soldier
stands in No-Man's Land. A shell is embedded in the ground at his feet and a
German stahlhelm
lies nearby. The title is carried in the smoke in the
background at the top: “On ne Passe Pas! 1914-1918.” The text (in
red) at the
bottom of the sheet reads, “Par deux fois j’ai tenu et vaincu sur la Marne, Civil, mon frére, La sournoise
offensive
de la ‘paix blanche’ va t’assaillir a ton tour, Comme moi, tu dois tenir et
vaincre, sois fort et malin. Méfie-toi
de
l’hypocrisie boche.” (“Twice I’ve stood and overcome on the Marne, my civilian brother. The
underhanded ‘peace
offensive’ will attack you in turn. Like me, you must stand
and overcome. Be strong and careful, beware of
Boche hypocrisy.”)
Notes: Linen-backed with linen extending 3” above the top of the
poster. Slight wrinkle to lower left
corner, but a fine example. This example is
a variant in full color with the text at the bottom in red. Most often,
this
poster is found without color (in black & white) and with the text in black. The
black & white version was
printed by H. Chachoin in Paris.
History:
This poster was sponsored and published in 1918 by the Union des Grandes
Associations Françaises
contre la propagande ennemie (Union of the Great French
Associations against enemy propaganda), imprinted at
the extreme lower left. The
inherent message of this intriguing poster is to not be taken in by a mock
peace, and
refers to the Boche hypocrisy (“Boche” was used as a very
disparaging term for a German).
Rare Original Proof, Signed by the Illustrator.
[There is no text
on this proof copy,
as issued]. The published version (with text) reads,
“Journée du Poilu. 25 et 26 Décembre 1915.
Organisée par le Parlement” (“The
Common Soldier's Day - 25 and 26 of December, 1915.
Organized by Parliament.”
Size: 39¼ x 31¼
Sponsor: Le Parlement Français
Artist: Maurice Neumont
Date: 1915
Printer: Devambez Imprimerie, Paris
Price: $1,200.
Image: A full-length depiction of a French ‛poilu’ standing on
the brow of a trench, poised to throw a grenade.
Notes: This is a very rare proof, without text. It is signed,
dated, and hand numbered (99/200) in pencil by
the artist within the blank text
area just below the image. The text for this poster would normally fit within
the blank
areas at the top and bottom of the image, with lined borders
surrounding the text. This proof version is somewhat
cropped (as issued) at the
lower edge of the bottom blank area, thus this poster is shorter than the
standard issued
version (standard issue measures 47 x 32). Our copy shows wear
and chipping reaching 1” to 2” into the left edge
of the poster, and a minor
crease at the upper left corner. There are full-length creases where once
folded: one
vertical crease at the center and three horizontal creases.
History:
Proof “pulls” of World War propaganda posters are quite rare. Generally, a few
sheets would be
run through the presses before the text was printed. This
process was to insure that the illustration was aligned
properly, and was true
to the original design. There would probably also be a proof of the text without
the illustration.
Once the artist and printer were satisfied, the printing
process would proceed without interruption. Sometimes, the
artist would keep a
few of the proofs for his own use. In this case, there were apparently 200
proof “pulls” for the
artist’s use. Be that as it probably was, we have been
unable to locate any other proof copies of this poster and
consider this item to
be extremely rare and collectible.
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