DUDLEY HARDY (1867-1922) LIEBIG COMPANY'S EXTRACT. 1161/2x77 inches. Waterlow & Sons, London. Condition B+: restoration, repaired tears and creases along vertical and horizontal folds. Six sheets. Dudley Hardy and John Hassal were two of the most prolific British poster artists of their era. Hardy had studied in Paris, but returned to England intending to become a painter. He soon found himself designing posters for theaters, among which his Gaiety Girl shows the strong influence of the work of Jules Cheret. Justus Liebig (1803-1873) was a prominent German chemist whose important discoveries include chloroform and superphosphates. In between his chemical experiments he found time to create a revolutionary method to make instant beef stock (a far more commonplace creation than any of his others!). This large poster, a typical British format, shows one of the many popular characters that Hardy loved to use. Here the conceit, that Liebig's extract is so good it can influence someone's profession, is a humorous and inspired idea.
