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12 Posters with Reserves Under $1,200

12 Posters With Reserves Under $1,200

Our 85th Rare Posters Auction contains a number of beautiful designs that won’t break the bank. Preview our top posters with reserves of $1,200 and under before they go to auction on November 14.

5. Stowe.
By Sascha Maurer (1897-1961)
23 1/2 x 40 in./59.8 x 101.5 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

Whereas most Maurer designs prominently feature skiers or their equipment, this advertisement for Stowe, Vermont basks in the beauty of the New England slopes with a fine coating of snow.

9. Stanserhorn / Luzern. ca. 1930.
By Ernst Hodel (1881-1955)
27 1/8 x 39 in./68.8 x 99.2 cm
Est: $1,000-$1,200

Situated in Central Switzerland, Mount Stanserhorn—at 1,900 meters above sea-level (or 6,253 feet for the metrically challenged)—is perfectly situated to offer one of the most beautiful views of the Alps and its surrounding areas, encompassing 100 kilometers of alpine panorama including the Eiger, Moench, and Jungfrau peaks. In fact, on a clear day, you can see all the way to France’s Vosges Mountains, as well as Germany, where you will see the Feldberg and the Black Forest. The official observation platform, with its decorative pylon and information plaques, looks very much the same today as it did at the time of this poster’s production, though fences have been added around the perimeter for added safety. Hodel renders the scene with alpine placidity and panoramic sophistication, creating an impeccable invitation to bask in the splendor of mountainous grandeur.

72. BMW Museum / Zeitsignale. 1979.
By Günther Kieser (1930- )
34 7/8 x 48 3/8 in./88.6 x 123 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

In this poster for the BMW Museum’s exhibition, a Dietrich mannequin poses on a car, and everything is outlined in vibrant neon highlights in assorted colors. Kieser, Germany’s top postwar posterist and one of the world’s best, could always be relied upon to come up with startling ideas. He has had one-man exhibitions of his posters in many countries, from Lincoln Center in New York to the poster museum in Essen, Germany. He continues to produce fine posters after retiring as a professor of visual communications at the Wuppertal College. Photography credit: Hartmann.

84. Fly TWA / Ireland. ca. 1964.
David Klein (1918-2005)
25 x 40 in./63.4 x 101.7 cm
Estimate: $800-$1,000

Klein collects Ireland’s historic castles, cathedrals, and towers and douses them in a wash of shamrock green to evoke the country’s verdant landscape. During the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, TWA was the world’s third-largest airline, and in 1969, it beat Pan Am’s record for most transatlantic passengers of any airline.

117. I Want You For the Navy. 1917.
By Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952)
27 1/8 x 41 1/2 in./69 x 105.4 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

This sultry Christy girl was created at precisely the same time as Flagg’s Uncle Sam, and both are saying “I Want You”—but with ever-so-slightly different inflections. Not only is this an interesting comparison to Christy’s “Gee!! I Wish I Were a Man” (see next lot), but the sheer sexiness with which she dons the sailor’s dress uniform anticipates the Van Heusen shirt campaigns of many years later.

306. Galerie Watari, Tokyo. 1983.
By Keith Haring (1958-1990)
20 3/8 x 26 3/4 in./51.6 x 68 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

This rare poster was published in conjunction with Keith Haring’s first exhibition in Tokyo, Japan at the Galerie Watari in 1983. Haring employs his wry sense of humor in this illustration: a dolphin-riding man battles against an incoming UFO—or perhaps he’s trying to hitchhike a ride? In any case, it’s a pure Haring delight—printed on pearlescent Japanese paper from an edition of 1,000.

319. Granger. ca. 1927.
Ludwig Hohlwein (1874-1949)
21 x 10 1/8 in./53.5 x 25.8 cm
Estimate: $1,000-$1,200

During his only trip to the United States, Hohlwein produced this small poster advertising Granger pipe tobacco. Rarely seen, it is one of at least two designs he created for the company (for another, see PAI-LX, 299), both of which showcase the simple pleasures of men smoking outdoors with their canine companions.

362. Playas de Andalucia. ca. 1939.
José Morell (1899-1949)
24 7/8 x 39 1/8 in./63 x 99.5 cm
Estimate: $1,000-$1,200

Situated on Spain’s southern coastline, Andalucia abounds with beaches, both Mediterranean and Atlantic. But rather than selecting one of the many seaside sights, Morell zeroes in on a family scene under brightly colored umbrellas—because any Spanish beach is a good beach to relax on. Although Morell created a great number of travel posters from the 1920s to 1940s, these works generally avoid the trap of mere decoration and exhibit the same strong graphic qualities we see here.

383. L’Illustration / Noël. 1896.
By Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939)
11 1/8 x 15 1/8 in./28.3 x 38.5 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

“As indicated by the title, 1896-Noel-1897, this edition of the magazine marks the turn of the year—the passing of the old year and its renewal. The pale figure of the dead (or dying) woman in the foreground seems to symbolise the passing year, while the winged figure is wrapping her body in a shroud. The silhouetted flower held by the passing woman is a thistle, which often symbolises sin and earthly suffering. However, the hope for renewal and redemption is indicated by the image of the silhouetted church building in the background (considering the occasion, probably the Church of the Nativity) as well as the band of decorative motifs on the left, consisting of three pairs of hands and snowy branches of a Christmas tree. In the Christian context, pairs of hands often allude to spiritual power or the conduits to convey spiritual energy, while Christmas trees represent vitality or life force. Whilst these motifs were inspired by the Christian tradition, the idea of ‘mechanical’ hands with cogs is totally unique. By this, probably Mucha expressed the power of a mysterious God who governs time and the harmonious working of Nature” (Mucha Trust).

417. New York Central / 20th Century Limited, Industrial America. 1943.
Leslie Ragan (1897-1972)
16 x 33 1/2 in./40.6 x 84.8 cm
Estimate: $1,400-$1,700

The clean, smooth lines of the Art Deco era found their ultimate expression in Henry Dreyfuss’ 1938 streamlining of the New York Central’s Twentieth Century Limited. From the Mohawk-inspired fin atop the Hudson-class locomotive’s smoke box to the tail sign on the observation car, the famous train’s elegant, sleek design spoke of machinery, steel, and precision. Like a shiny silver bullet, Ragan’s “Century” streaks past an appropriate industrial backdrop of Chicago steel mills as it sets out on another all-first-class run to New York. Ragan, an Iowa native who studied painting and illustration in Chicago before moving to New York City, spent most of his career creating posters for the Norfolk & Western and the New York Central railroads. This poster includes the December 1943 calendar with metal strips at top and bottom.

472. Mistinguett / Féerie de Paris / Casino de Paris. 1938.
By Jean-Dominique Van Caulaert (1897-1979)
15 3/4 x 22 7/8 in./39.8 x 58 cm
Est: $1,000-$1,200

“Féerie de Paris” was such a hit that the box office of the Casino de Paris had to be enlarged. The theme of the revue was a tour of Paris monuments, led by Mistinguett wearing a six-foot high Eiffel Tower of a costume. Van Caulaert could only fit part of it into this design: a great cascade of blue plumes, against which Mistinguett’s accessories and, well, other accessories stand out. The poster—produced for the enduring success of the show’s run “d’après” the previous year’s original design—certainly doesn’t give away the star’s age at the time: 62. Van Caulaert’s specialty was portraits. He painted all the luminaries of his time and brought that skill to bear in his posters as well. He became the official painter of the French war department in the 1930s and his poster portraits include all the music hall and recording greats of France, such as Josephine Baker, Cécile Sorel, Rina Ketty, and, of course, Mistinguett. This is the smaller format.

478. Bally. 1973.
By Bernard Villemot (1911-1989)
46 x 63 in./117 x 160 cm
Est: $1,200-$1,500

Villemot has posed the two nude dancers to look like a lotus blossom. His study for this poster was, in fact, titled “Lotus” and on publication was quickly dubbed “Les Femmes-Fleurs.” The inspired choice of colors for the shoes, in an eerie coincidence, resembles the stockings in Socha’s poster for the 1974 film “Moja Miłość” (see PAI-LXXII, 357). The bottom text panel has been eliminated in this specimen.

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