FRANCIS BERNARD (1900-1979) BAREME DES PRIX. Circa 1935. 39 1/2x24 inches, 100 1/4x61 cm. Paul Martial, Paris. Condition A- / B+: repaired tear in upper left edge, affecting image; restoration, overpainting and light staining in upper left corner; minor creasing and restoration at edges. The French modernist poster designers of the Art Deco period, including Cassandre, Carlu and Loupot did not use photography very often in their designs. Rather, they were clearly more at ease with a pencil and an airbrush. The only member of the U.A.M. (Union des Artistes Modernes) who made systematic use of photography was Francis Bernard. In 1930, L'Affiche magazine quoted him as declaring, "I intend to combine film and lithographic stone even more than I have so far." In the 1930s, he was the creative director at the Paul Martial studio, and we can assume by looking at the construction of this poster that it was designed by Bernard himself, or certainly under his close direction. The difficult subject (how to calculate shipping rates for parcels), is presented clearly and efficiently via the strict organization of the layout and the two photographs.
