FRANCISCO TAMGANO (1851 - ?) IMPRIMERIE CAMIS. 1897. 38 1/8x24 5/8 inches. Maison G. Olmer & J. Hesbert, Paris. Condition B+: overpainting in bottom margin; repaired tears and creases in margins and image. Printed on thick stock. This poster, a self-promotion for the great Parisian printing house Camis, is a veritable who's-who of the most memorable advertising icons of the 1890s. Camis always advertised that he had the biggest printing presses in the world, and here, in an allegory of lithographic creation, one of the presses is shown spewing forth a cascade of the posters and poster characters designed by the company in recent years. Some of the best commercial designers of the era worked exclusively under contract for Camis, making their "Creations de la Maison" [in-house designs] an irresistible offering for advertisers. Here, the work of four of Camis' best artists is on display: Firmin Bouisset (Chocolat Meunier and Job), Guillaume (Biere Georges, Grog Dupit, Liqueur Hannapier, Duclerc etc.), Bac (Yvette Guilbert), and Francisco Tamagno (Absinthe Terminus, Absinthe Cusenier, Liebig, Cycles Peugeot etc.) Camis had an excellent understanding of advertising, and was the first to systematically associate a specific character with a product, which was a diametrically different approach from Jules Cheret and Alphonse Mucha, who always used a beautiful, yet generic, woman to promote products. In this poster, some of these advertising icons are identified, others are not. It presents an enticing prospect for poster collectors to attempt to identify all the characters. Most likely this image was designed by Tamagno. A slightly later poster from the firm illustrates a "revue de ses principales creations artistiques" showing many of the same characters interacting with each other, proving the enduring charm that these mascots held over both the public and future advertisers. Le Livre de l'Affiche cover and p. 82, Imprimerie p. 65.
