Discover the timeless artistry of vintage advertising posters at Poster France. Our collection from France and Italy showcases iconic brands and celebrated poster artists, blending art and commerce seamlessly. These original posters offer a glimpse into the advertising world’s golden age, featuring the work of renowned creatives who defined poster art. Explore a treasure trove of vintage designs that continue to captivate collectors and art lovers alike. Own a piece of history with Poster France’s exquisite selection of original vintage advertising posters!
Philips 1963–1973, des années de satisfaction (1973)
Original French Advertising Poster
Printed by Elvinger, Paris — Lithograph
This large-format advertising poster was issued by Philips to celebrate a decade of innovation from 1963 to 1973, using the slogan “des années de satisfaction” (“years of satisfaction”). It depicts a sleek Philips television set from 1973, reflecting the optimism and design sensibility of France’s consumer boom during the early 1970s.
Printed in stone lithography by Elvinger, Paris, the poster exemplifies the clean, modern aesthetic typical of European industrial advertising of that era. Though unsigned, the composition follows the minimalist corporate style Philips used internationally throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. A fine and well-preserved example of French mid-century commercial art.
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Details
Artist: Anonymous
Printer: Elvinger, Paris
Technique: Lithography (on stone)
Year: 1973
Size: 45 x 61 in. (114 x 155 cm)
Linen: Mounted on linen
Condition: Excellent
Comment:
A vibrant and technically refined original Philips poster celebrating ten years of innovation—an impressive example of 1960s–70s European industrial advertising.
Radio – L.L. (Lucien Levy) – Art Deco Poster by G. Favre, 1930
Original lithographic poster on paper designed by Georges Favre for Radio L.L. (Lucien Levy), inventor of the superheterodyne receiver. This striking Art Deco composition, with its bold avant-garde design, became closely associated with the company and served as a recognizable visual identity. Several variants of this design were produced.
A strong and iconic example of early 20th-century graphic design, reflecting the innovation and modernity of radio technology during the period.
Artist: Georges Favre (d’apres)
Year: 1930
Dimensions: 22.4 x 30.3 inches / 57 x 77 cm
Medium: Lithograph on paper, mounted on linen
Condition: Excellent
Original 1970s edition of René Gruau’s celebrated design Le Rouge Baiser. First created in 1950 for the French cosmetics brand, the image has become one of Gruau’s most enduring works, with its striking silhouette of a woman in a red headscarf and bold lipstick. This later printing was produced in offset lithography at a smaller format (17.5 × 22 in) and has been professionally mounted on linen for preservation and display.
This example is in Excellent “A” condition, with rich color and well-preserved surfaces.
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Details
Title: Le Rouge Baiser
Artist: René Gruau
Date: 1970s printing
Size: 17.5 × 22 in / 44 × 56 cm
Print Type: Offset lithograph
Linen: On linen
Condition: Excellent “A”
Rouge Baiser poster designed by the renown fashion poster artist Rene Gruau was the world’s first “kiss-proof” lipstick. It was designed to provide long-lasting color that didn’t smudge, even after eating or kissing. This was groundbreaking for the time. Its innovative formula, developed by chemist Paul Baudecroux, used a type of cosmetic dye that stained the lips, offering durability far beyond traditional lipsticks. Women seeking bold, smudge-proof, and long-lasting lip color
Lithographic plate reproducing the poster design Superator by Leopoldo Metlicovitz, issued as part of the well-known Ricordi Portfolio. This series presented a selection of important poster designs printed by the Ricordi publishing house during the height of the Italian poster movement between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The portfolio gathered together small-format reproductions of these works and was distributed internationally in the early twentieth century.
Casa Ricordi of Milan, originally a music publisher closely associated with the Italian opera world, developed a major lithographic printing workshop in the late nineteenth century. Through its printing department the firm produced posters for music, theatre, and commercial clients and became a central force in the development of the Italian poster. The artists working with Ricordi helped define the Italian version of Art Nouveau, often referred to as Stile Liberty.
Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868–1944) was one of the principal designers associated with Ricordi. His posters and illustrations are recognized for their elegant compositions and refined color work, and he contributed numerous designs for theatre, publishing, and advertising.
Artist: Metlicovitz, Leopoldo
Title: Superator (Ricordi Portfolio plate)
Printer / Publisher: Ricordi, Milan
Size: 10 x 14 inches / 25 x 36 cm
On / Off Linen: Unlined
Print Technique: Lithograph
Year: c.1910
Condition & Comments: Excellent condition. Plate from the Ricordi portfolio series presenting reduced lithographic versions of notable Italian posters from the Ricordi workshop.
Original stone-lithograph plate printed circa 1896 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Illustrées. This plate presents Eugène Grasset’s elegant advertising design for Encre Marquet, a French ink manufacturer. Grasset, one of the pioneers of Art Nouveau, was celebrated for his graceful line work, flattened color harmonies, and stylized decorative compositions that drew on medieval and Japanese sources. His poster for Encre Marquet exemplifies this refined approach, transforming a simple commercial product into a work of artistic sophistication.
Les Affiches Illustrées (1896–1899) was one of the earliest journals devoted exclusively to poster art, issued in limited numbers for collectors. Published under the artistic direction of Jules Chéret at the Chaix atelier, each issue contained stone-lithograph reductions of major affiches, printed on fine paper using the same techniques as the large-format originals. These plates offered collectors access to authentic poster art by the leading designers of the Belle Époque in a more practical and collectible format.
Grasset’s Encre Marquet remains an iconic example of French poster design in the 1890s, combining functionality, elegance, and the stylistic innovation that defined Art Nouveau.
Title: Encre Marquet
Artist: Eugène Grasset (1845–1917)
Date: c.1896 (after the original advertising poster)
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris (Les Affiches Illustrées)
Size: 21.5 × 30 cm (approx. 8.5 × 11.8 in)
Print Type: Stone lithograph
Condition: Excellent “A,” near-mint on fine wove paper
Comments: Authentic plate from Les Affiches Illustrées, produced at Chaix under Jules Chéret. Strong, clean impression with vivid color. A classic Art Nouveau design by Grasset, highlighting his refined decorative style in commercial poster art.
French Loto – Mermaid Poster (1989) by Bernard Villemot
Designed in 1989 by the celebrated French poster artist Bernard Villemot (1911–1989), this original French advertising poster was created for the Loterie Nationale to promote its summer holiday drawing, offering a potential jackpot of 33 million francs. Villemot portrays a reclining mermaid with a numbered tail, lounging on a beach under a radiant sky—a witty, elegant image of chance and seaside leisure.
Printed by A. Karcher, Aubervilliers, this large-format work represents one of Villemot’s final poster designs, completed in the year of his passing. It exemplifies his hallmark blend of graphic simplicity, strong color, and visual charm that defined postwar French poster art.
Details
Artist: Bernard Villemot (1911–1989)
Title: French Loto – Mermaid Poster
Year: 1989
Printer: A. Karcher, Aubervilliers
Printing Technique: Offset lithograph
Size: 47 x 69 inches
Linen: Unlined
Condition: Excellent
Comments
Original 1989 French Loto poster by Bernard Villemot featuring a mermaid reclining on a beach, created for the national lottery’s holiday drawing. Printed by A. Karcher, Aubervilliers. Excellent condition, vivid color, and an iconic late example by Villemot.
Incandescenza – Giovanni Mattaloni, Plate 72 – 1897
Giovanni (Gianni) Mattaloni (Italian, 1852–1914)
Incandescenza, 1897
An original stone lithograph by Giovanni Mattaloni, issued as Plate 72 in Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, the monthly series published by Jules Cheret at Imprimerie Chaix, Paris, between 1895 and 1900. Each portfolio contained four numbered plates reproducing the most notable posters of the Belle Époque in reduced format.
Mattaloni’s Incandescenza promotes an early electric lighting product. The radiant female figure illuminated from within symbolizes the arrival of electric light, a technology that was rapidly transforming European cities. The design reflects Mattaloni’s distinctive Italian Art Nouveau style—combining flowing line, dramatic color, and a sense of motion characteristic of the Ricordi school.
Details
Original stone lithograph on wove paper
Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
From Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, Plate 72 (1897)
Sheet size: approximately 40 × 29 cm / 15.75 × 11.4 in.
Condition: Excellent; bright, clean impression on full sheet
Comments
A fine example from the series, highlighting Mattaloni’s contribution to Italian poster design and the era’s fascination with electric light.
Artist: Hohenstein Printer: Chaix Imprimerie, Paris Size: 12 x 16″ / 30.5 x 40.6 cm On/Off Linen: Unlined Year: 1895-9 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
A LA PLACE CLICHY BY PEAN FOR LES MAITRES DE L’AFFICHE
Les Maitres de l’affiche were stone lithographs printed by the Chaix Imprimerie in paris between the years 1895 and 1899. The celebrated the masters of the posters of that period. Paris for 4 plates to arrive every month. The plate is in excellent condition.
An original stone lithograph by Vaclav Oliva, issued as Plate 176 in Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, the monthly series published by Jules Cheret at Imprimerie Chaix, Paris, between 1895 and 1900. Subscribers received four numbered plates each month, representing leading poster artists of the Belle Époque.
This design advertises Zlata Praha (“Golden Prague”), an illustrated weekly newspaper published in Prague at the end of the nineteenth century. Oliva’s composition combines the clarity of Art Nouveau line with subtle color and a poised female figure symbolizing the cultural refinement of the Czech capital.
Details
Original stone lithograph on wove paper
Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
From Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, Plate 176 (1899)
Sheet size: approximately 40 × 29 cm / 15.75 × 11.4 in.
Condition: Excellent; strong, clean impression on full sheet
Comments
A beautifully preserved example from Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, uniting Parisian printing quality with a distinguished Central European subject.
A brilliant and iconic stone lithograph by Jules Chéret, issued as Plate 145 in Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, the renowned monthly series published at Imprimerie Chaix, Paris, between 1895 and 1900. Subscribers received four plates each month over five years, featuring reduced-format reproductions of the finest poster designs of the Belle Époque.
Chéret’s Saxoléine is among his most celebrated compositions. Created to advertise a brand of oil used for household lighting, the design captures Chéret’s revolutionary approach to poster art — he was the first artist to popularize the use of graceful, animated women to promote commercial products, transforming advertising into an art form. The vivacious figure, bathed in golden light, embodies the optimism and elegance of fin-de-siècle Paris.
Details
Original stone lithograph on wove paper
Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
From Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, Plate 145 (1898)
Sheet size: approximately 40 × 29 cm / 15.75 × 11.4 in.
Condition: Excellent; vivid impression on full sheet
Comments
An outstanding example of Chéret’s joyful style and his pivotal role in defining the modern poster. Saxoléine remains one of the most recognizable and enduring images from Les Maîtres de l’Affiche.
Artist: STEINLEN Printer: Chaix Imprimerie, Paris Size: 12 x 16″ / 30.5 x 40.6 cm On/Off Linen: Unlined Year: 1895-9 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
LE COUPABLE BY STEINLEN FOR LES MAITRES DE L’AFFICHE
Les Maitres de l’affiche were stone lithographs printed by the Chaix Imprimerie in paris between the years 1895 and 1899. The celebrated the masters of the posters of that period. Paris for 4 plates to arrive every month. The plate is in excellent condition.
