PIERRE SEGOGNE (?-1958) FIGURES DE CIRE. Circa 1924.
60 3/4x34 1/4 inches, 154 1/4x87 cm. Les Grandes Exclusivités, Paris.
Condition B: repaired tears and restored losses along vertical and horizontal folds; creases, abrasions, restoration and overpainting in margins and image; repaired tear through upper right corner.
A poster for the French release of the 1924 silent German horror/fantasy film, Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks). The plot involves a wax museum owner who hires a poet to write stories about some of the most colorful figures on display (including Harun al-Rashid (the 5th Caliph of Baghdad), Jack the Ripper and Ivan the Terrible), in hopes of drawing more people in to view the exhibition. Directed by Paul Leni, the film stars Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss. This poster advertises the first part of the film about the Caliph of Baghdad and shows him seducing the wife of a poor baker. The image is an impressive close-up and captures the different emotional expressions on the characters' faces, skillfully achieved without any outlining. A rare and creative movie poster that stands out as an artistic exception within its field.