Dec 15, 2005 - Sale 2062

Sale 2062 - Lot 24

Unsold
Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 4,000
MAURICE NEUMONT (1868-1930) A LA PLACE CLICHY / ETRENNES. [Before Lettering.] 1905.
51x361/2 inches. Minot, Paris.
Condition B+: minor staining in top margin; slight restoration in image.
The Parisian department store A La Place Clichy was one of the biggest French outdoor advertisers. They were responsible for commissioning a number of posters, especially around Christmas time to promote their holiday offerings. To design these posters they employed Jules Cheret and his disciples (Rene Pean, Misti and Georges Lefevre). Neumont was also a great provider of images for their campaigns. For this classic image we are shown the store in the background (the building and the statue no longer exist) and very satisfied customers in the foreground. The joyful little girl is holding a beloved doll and her mischievous brother is frightening a dog with his jack-in-the-box. The image is quite eye-catching, thanks in large part to the yellow background, in which can be seen one of Hector Guimard's classic Art Nouveau metro station entrances. Neumont continued to be very active as a poster designer through the First World War, and was ultimately elected to the presidency of the Paris Salon des Humoristes.