Original French Art Nouveau advertising poster for Aux Fabriques de Geneve, a jeweler and watch merchant based in La Rochelle. The design features a young woman presented in refined detail above a display of watches, jewelry, and decorative objects. A large ring or cameo-like medallion frames the scene, reinforcing the store’s emphasis on engagement and bridal gifts. The text indicates that the firm manufactured its own goods and offered a catalog available to clients upon request.
Although the name refers to Geneva, the shop itself operated in La Rochelle. The reference to Geneva likely served to evoke the reputation of Swiss craftsmanship in watchmaking and fine jewelry, suggesting products of comparable quality.
The artist Hem was active in France during the early twentieth century and produced a small number of advertising posters during the height of the Belle Époque poster movement. His work reflects the decorative elegance typical of the Art Nouveau period.
Artist: Hem
Title: Aux Fabriques de Geneve
Size: 47.5 x 63 inches
On / Off Linen: On linen
Print Technique: Stone lithograph
Year: 1903
Condition & Comments: Excellent condition on linen. Original vintage poster, not a reproduction.
Original c.1900 French railway poster for Beausoleil, a resort on the Côte d’Azur, issued by the Paris–Lyon–Méditerranée (PLM) railway company while it was still formally known as the Chemins de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée. The design, by an anonymous artist, promotes Beausoleil as a premier Mediterranean destination at the turn of the century.
The poster was produced using chromolithography, a demanding color printing process employed by only a handful of French ateliers around 1900. This technique allowed for richly layered tones and subtle gradients, giving the image a depth not achievable through simpler lithographic methods of the period.
Highly sought after as both a travel and railway collectible, this example is professionally backed on linen and survives in excellent “A” condition, retaining strong color and sharp detail.
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Details
Title: Beausoleil
Artist: Anonymous
Date: c.1900
Printer: Robaudy, Cannes, France
Size: 30 x 40 in.
Print Type: Chromolithography
Linen: On linen
Condition: Excellent “A”
