EDMUND EDEL (1863-1933) AUTOMOBIL BALL. 1906. 27 3/8x18 1/2 inches. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin. Condition B+: expertly replaced top and bottom margins; repaired tears and creases through top margin into image. Edel trained as an artist in Munich and studied at the Academie Jullian<> in Paris before settling in Berlin where he began his career working as a humorist and wound up becoming one of the pioneers of German poster art. He used caricatures of Berliner Types<> to advertise drinks, shows and various products. These two posters of his which we offer here are not only very rare, but also the only two he created featuring depictions of automobiles. This image is an incredible, lighthearted, even funny, work done for a single-day event in Berlin. The event was sponsored by a local sports newspaper and was clearly intended to be a costume party. Despite the short duration that the poster would have hung, Edel clearly puts as much effort, invention and treatment into its design as if it were for a long exhibition. The effect of the dancing legs, long dress overflowing from the car and the eye-like headlights of the car itself all form an image around which the rather lengthy text can be absorbed without a problem. DFP III, 685.
