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15 Posters with Reserves Under $1,500

15 Posters With Reserves Under $1,500

Our 84th Rare Posters Auction contains a number of beautiful designs that won’t break the bank. Preview our top posters with reserves of $1,500 and under before they go to auction on July 20.

418. The Quartier Latin. 1899.
By Louis J. Rhead (1858-1926)
15 1/8 x 23 1/8 in./38.5 x 58.7 cm
Est: $1,700-$2,000

The Quartier Latin was the literary arts magazine for young British and American expats in Belle Époque Paris, featuring contributors such as Jack B. Yeats, Kate Adair, and J.K. Huysmans. While American writers decried The Quartier Latin for the “total lack of decorous restraint which should exist between young people” (The Evils of the Latin Quarter, Chicago Tribune, 1899), all is elegant artistry in Rhead’s cover illustration. Born in England, Rhead found equal success in London, New York, and Paris; his 1895 exhibition of posters in New York was America’s first.

192. Parisiana / T’en Auras. 1903.
By Jack Abeillé (1873-1949)
38 5/8 x 55 5/8 in./98.2 x 141.3 cm
Est: $1,700-$2,000

Abeillé was an illustrator known primarily for his numerous contributions to French humor magazines. This revue poster reveals his clear admiration for Grün: the buxom coquette with her rump partially exposed has reduced the official to a quivering idiot. Her stance and smile say even better than the title does that “You’re gonna get it!” The Parisiana was located at 27 Blvd. Poissonière in the Montmartre area (this address was also the first Paris home of Frederic Chopin in 1831-32). Set up in 1894 as a circular room with a stage, large balcony, and strolling gallery, it originally charged no admission; the public paid only for drinks. In 1897 the Isola brothers established a different format: a singer before intermission and a play or revue such as this one afterwards. New management changed the policy to revues-only in 1905, and the building was turned into a movie house in 1911. This is the larger format.

92. YWCA / For Every Fighter a Woman Worker. 1918.
By Ernest Hamlin Baker (1889-1975)
27 1/2 x 41 1/4 in./70 x 104.7 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

The YWCA had an enormous impact in elevating women’s equality and societal value, particularly during the first World War. And posters promoting the organization helped to send the message that women could provide crucial contributions to the war effort. Here, a veritable army of women floods the page; dressed in military uniforms and laborer’s clothes, they form a united front of workers whose femininity is beside the point. The YWCA is the oldest and largest women’s organization in the U.S.; during the War, they advocated for women workers around the world and coordinated and provided relief services in conjunction with the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

208. Capri. ca. 1927.
Mario Borgoni (1869-1936)
25 1/2 x 40 1/2 in./64.8 x 102.7 cm
Estimate: $1,700-$2,000

From our balcony overgrown with ancient vines and flora, we gaze across the rocky landscape at the mythical island of Capri, a famous resort area since Roman times.

500. Deutschland. ca. 1927.
By Jupp Wiertz (1881-1939)
25 1/4 x 40 in./64 x 101.5 cm
Est: $1,400-$1,700

This rare image shows the Berlin Gedächtniskirche in her full glory. Built in the 1890s, the church was badly damaged in a 1943 bombing raid, resulting in the severe loss of the spire. This battered spire has been retained as a reminder of the ravages of World War II, and the church is now called the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, although Berliners nicknamed it “der hohle Zahn” (the hollow tooth). Wiertz transports us back to prewar Berlin, when the city’s famous architecture was still in tact, and the broad streets were bathed in the glow of neon light.

450. Chemins de Fer de l’Est. 1929.
By Theodoro (Théodore Pfeifer, 1896-1973)
24 5/8 x 39 1/4 in./62.5 x 99.6 cm
Est: $1,700-$2,000

Hohlwein’s plump gourmand is on the verge of childlike jubilation. He is so overjoyed with the arrival of not one, but three varieties of Stuhr’s caviar that he can’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl and rub his well-rounded tummy in anticipation. The scene is such a delight that one can’t help but get swept along with its infectious ebullience, regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the salty sturgeon treat.

212. Villard de Lans / Le Paradis des Enfants. 1930.
Roger Broders (1883-1953)
24 1/2 x 39 1/4 in./62.2 x 99.5 cm
Estimate: $1,400-$1,700

One of Broders’ trademarks is foreground elements framing or commanding a panoramic view. Here, he shows children bravely going through some open-air calisthenics on a terrace overlooking the slopes of Villard de Lans, a resort in the northern French Alps. He would recycle this design some six years later for the National Society of French Railways.

261. Italia. 1936.
A. M. Cassandre (Adolphe Mouron, 1901-1968)
24 1/2 x 39 3/8 in./62.2 x 100 cm
Estimate: $1,400-$1,700

The mate to No. 259, this image focuses on the arts and culture found throughout Italy, most notably the Renaissance paintings and Roman antiquities.

343. Sevilla. 1934.
By Francisco Hohenleiter De Castro (1889-1968)
25 3/4 x 38 3/4 in./65.5 x 98.5 cm
Est: $1,700-$2,000

For a number of years, the annual spring festival in Seville was announced by the winner of a poster competition for the occasion. The 1934 prize went to Francisco Hohenleiter de Castro. Each year, the posters had to stay within a given theme; for this year, it was “raza brava” (gallant breed), hence the couple proudly showing off their regional costumes on a magnificently bedizened horse as they ride to Seville for the fiesta.

298. Championnats du Monde de Tir / 1937 Helsinki Finlande. 1937.
H. Czarnecki
13 3/4 x 22 1/8 in./35 x 56.2 cm
Estimate: $1,700-$2,000

Old World meets New World Order in this Czarnecki promotion for this Helsinki world-class target-shooting championship. One has to imagine that more than the bragging rights for archery were on the line in this tournament, but merging Art Deco with one of the world’s more traditional forms of precision hunting and combat—especially considering what weaponry World War Two was about to unleash—was truly an inspired choice.

60. BOAC / Britain - Europe. ca. 1955.
By Maurice Laban (1912-1970)
20 x 29 7/8 in./50.8 x 75.8 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

Exotic wildlife might not be the first thing that comes to mind when imagining a trip to Europe. But that’s no problem for Laban, who chooses to highlight more domestic creatures with his usual charm. This is a silkscreen print.

402. General Dynamics / Exploring the Universe / Nuclear Fusion. 1958.
By Erik Nitsche (1908-1998)
35 1/2 x 50 1/4 in./90.3 x 127.7 cm
Est: $1,400-$1,700

Nitsche’s Exploring the Universe series was displayed during the second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy held in Geneva in September, 1958. During this Cold War period, the nuclear arms race was fierce, and the president of General Dynamics believed that their campaigns should be presented as peaceful rather than destructive. “He further understood that presenting a good public face was endemic to this goal. Nitsche’s ads for them stood out like gems, using an abstract drawing style to give a modern aura that at once hinted at General Dynamics’ often top-secret products as well as its progressive aspirations” (I Heart Design, p. 54).

163. The Yardbirds & The Doors. 1967.
By Bonnie Maclean (1939-2020)
14 x 21 1/8 in./35.5 x 53.8 cm
Est: $1,400-$1,700

Psychedelia has Art Nouveau in its ancestral blood. Here, Bonnie MacLean appropriates the Cognac Jacquet peacock as a symbol for The Yardbirds. They played three days of this summer bill; The Doors played the weekend; and James Cotton and Richie Havens had all six days.

479. Black Power / White Power. 1967.
By Tomi Ungerer (1931-2019)
19 5/8 x 28 1/8 in./49.8 x 71.4 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

“Black Power/White Power” is an intentionally uncomfortable design that zeroes in on American racial conflicts of the 1960s—but, as we’ve all realized this past year, those issues are far from resolved. This poster is perhaps more relevant than ever, but Ungerer never could have imagined that when he designed this in 1967. The image is “Ungerer’s graphic response to racial injustice. Now an icon of political posters, this inflammatory image targets not simply racism against African Americans, but extremism on both sides. Of [his political posters] Ungerer observes, ‘I create political drawing because I feel the need for it. Because I am angry’” (Ungerer/All in One, p. 99).

492. Perrier / c'est fou... 1976.
By Bernard Villemot (1911-1989)
47 x 68 1/4 in./119.4 x 173.2 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

One of Villemot’s most whimsical designs for Perrier, this one features two bottles of the beverage as spectacles on a wild redhead.

336. American Music Festival / NYC Ballet. 1988.
By Keith Haring (1958-1990)
35 3/4 x 24 in./91 x 80.8 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

Haring created this charmingly patriotic design for the 40th Anniversary of the New York City Ballet; it was one of a series of 11 artists’ posters commemorating the event. The poster was published by Philip Morris Companies.

View All Lots in our July 20 Auction
Live auction begins July 20 at 11am EDT
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