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THE GLASGOW INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS — McNair & MacDonald

Original stone-lithograph plate printed in 1897 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Étrangères. This design by Glasgow artists McNair & MacDonald was created for the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, reflecting the innovative style of the Scottish Arts and Crafts and early Art Nouveau movement often associated with the Glasgow School. The imagery, signed in the stone, highlights the ornamental linearity and symbolic forms characteristic of this circle, which also included Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Les Affiches Étrangères (1896–1899) was a companion series to Les Affiches Illustrées, published under the artistic direction of Jules Chéret. The series showcased posters by important non-French artists, giving collectors access to authentic lithographs from across Europe. Each plate was issued in a numbered edition of 1,050 copies, printed at the Chaix atelier in Paris using the same multi-color stone-lithography techniques as the full-size posters.

Title: The Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts
Artists: McNair & MacDonald (Glasgow School)
Date: 1897 (Les Affiches Étrangères)
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
Edition: One of 1,050 copies issued
Size: 21.5 × 30 cm (approx. 8.5 × 11.8 in)
Print Type: Multi-color stone lithograph
Condition: Excellent “A,” near-mint on fine wove paper
Comments: Authentic plate from Les Affiches Étrangères, produced at Chaix under Jules Chéret. Signed in the stone. A fine example of Glasgow School poster design, representing the international reach of Art Nouveau at the end of the 19th century.