LUDWIG HOHLWEIN (1874-1949) ERMURI ZIGARREN BEVORZUGT. Circa 1925. 34x23 3/4 inches, 86 1/2x60 1/2 cm. Chromo Lithographische, Munich. Condition A-: small repaired tear in left margin. Whereas Hohlwein's early posters were influenced by the Beggarstaff Brothers and were progressive, if not revolutionary, in design, his images during the years leading up to the Second World War are almost hyper-realistic in execution. During this period, one of his recognizable design tropes was to create a sense of depth in his posters by using a warm-colored background and a dark, cooler foreground. Throughout his career, Hohlwein designed many posters for a variety of different brands. In contrast to the work Lucian Bernhard did for Manoli cigarettes, for which he built a global communications concept and a visual brand identity, Hohlwein simply delivered one-shot, snappy images that presented their products in a status-enhancing way; such is this very self-satisfied cigar smoker, having procured his cigar from noted tobacconist Hans Sollfrank. Hohlwein / Stuttgart 212.
