Kassama Corn Flour / A Trip to China Town (1894)
// Masters of the Poster // Published from 1895 to 1900
This turn of the century monthly publication contained reproductions of the most beautiful illustrated posters of great artists, French and foreign, published by Imprimerie Chaix. It is deemed one of the most prestigious and influential art publications in history.
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Wonderfully stylized posters by British illustrators James Pryde (1866–1941) and Sir William Nicholson (1872–1949) via the extensive New York Public Library digital archives. Follow the title links above to learn more about the images.
Brothers-in-law Mr. Pryde and Mr. Nicholson were jointly Beggarstaff Brothers, officially known as J. & W. Beggarstaff. In 1894 the two men opened their advertising design studio, albeit a short-lived venture as they ended their partnership just six years later in 1900. But not before creating truly historic graphical work and woodcuts that bucked the overdone trends of their day, i.e. the floral motifs of Art Nouveau. And well, apparently therein lies the problem. Their work is heralded as an artistic success but a financial disaster. The pair were known for their new collage technique, “using cut pieces of paper moved around on a board leaving a figure incomplete for the view to decipher.” If only they could reap the financial bounty of what their rare posters command at auction these days. For example, one of only three known existing copies of the Chinatown poster above was purchased for $43,700 at auction at Swann Galleries in 2004.
As a side note, the Chinatown poster was altered by the printer without consent from the artists. I can not even imagine. The printer added the background color and the pseudo-Chinese lettering. Understandably Pryde and Nicholson were furious. The poster went unsigned as they refused to put their name on work they no longer considered their own. Even so, the poster is iconic.
Once they closed their joint studio, both men continued their art and illustration careers separately. Sir Nicholson (knighted in 1936) authored and illustrated children’s books and pursued painting. Pryde also painted at least up until 1925. His work was exhibited at the Tate Gallery London in 1949, eight years after his death.
// Follow the links above to Wikipedia to learn more. //
[ Images courtesy of NYPL ]
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