RAPHA. 1958. 31x223/4 inches. I. C. A., Paris. Condition A-: creases and minor abrasions in image; minor overpainting in margins. Loupot originally attempted the visual effect of shiny black images against a mat black background for Lion Noir shoe shine cream in 1949, but at that time printing technology was not good enough to create a decent effect. Nine years later he tried again, this time for St. Raphael, his fetish client, to help them launch one of their new products. This time thanks to advances in silkscreen printing the effect is far more successful, creating an almost ghost-like, shimmering out-line of the bottle and the two French waiters, the company's mascots/logo, that, at the time, were part of popular French culture.
