MISTI (FERDINAND MIFLIEZ 1865-1923) QUINQUINA DU VALET. 58 1/2x42 1/4 inches, 149x107 cm. Bourgerie & Cie., Paris. Condition B / B+: expert overpainting in margins and image, affecting text at bottom; minor foxing and discoloration in image; unobtrusive vertical and horizontal folds. During an era when drinking an apertif was considered part of one's daily ritual, the French market exploded with innumerable brands of liqueurs. Among the most popular were the reinforced wines perfumed with herbs like quinquina. This particular brand took its name and logo from the most popular French card game of the time, La Belote. This game, which was regularly played in bistros and cafes around the country, was something like bridge, except the Jack of Spades (the valet de pique) trumped all the other cards, and was thus considered a sign of great luck. The background color of the poster reinforces the card game metaphor, as it appears to be the green baize of a card table.
