May 09 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2668 -

Sale 2668 - Lot 38

Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000

LOUIS OPPENHEIM (1879-1936)

S. ADAM TENNIS. Circa 1910.

27¾x37 inches, 70½x94 cm. Kunstanstalt Carlsabo, Berlin.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges, some into image; repaired pin holes in corners; faded.

A rare ad for this Berlin department store specializing in sportswear, gear and ladies and gentlemen's clothing, founded in 1863 by Saul Adam. His four sons took over the business in 1900; the youngest, Fritz Adam, an entrepreneur at heart, was "an enthusiastic supporter of the Olympic ideal and [saw] the promotion of sports as the way forward to increase cooperation between nations in the form of healthy competition so as to prevent future military confrontations" (https://sportadam.com/). "The firm financed or equipped several exploratory expeditions" including voyages to the Antarctic, Amundsen's trip to the North Pole, and expeditions to South America. In the 1920s, Fritz became involved in the German Olympics and the government's physical fitness programs, then opened his own business "Sport Adam" after S. Adam was liquidated. However, the rise of the Nazis thwarted this German Jewish entrepreneur's plans, and Fritz was forced to emigrate to London in 1934 (ibid).

Louis Oppenheim designed several other horizontal format posters for S. Adam, advertising "Gifts of Love," "Clothing for Sports and Travel," "Wintersports Clothing," "Riding Clothes," and more.
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