D'APRES PAL (JEAN DE PALEOLOGUE, 1860-1942) LIBERATOR. Circa 1900. 59 x 42 inches. Jules Simon, Paris. Condition A-: repaired tears at edges; creases in image. Liberator is a classic Pal figurine -- a buxom blonde with long hair. The image is arguably one of his wildest concepts, a semi-clad, full-figured Gallic warrior, improbably outfitted for battle, topless, with an extreme helmet and a chain-mail mini-skirt! To top off the surreal advertising vision this bicycle-riding Valkyrie holds a sword that is far too big to wield. Originally printed circa 1899, this image was so popular that it was re-issued over the years, containing different information and slight changes to the image. This copy, "d'apres Pal," was printed by a different printer and apparently redrawn by another artist, as it bears the signature E. Clouet. There are several obvious differences from the earlier copy. Here there are no thistles in the background, the text is a different color and arranged differently around the image, the address of the bicycle shop is listed and also the bicycle itself is a different model. DFP II 696 (var), Bicycle 48 (var).
