Beautiful vintage poster collection showing London and Boston of yesteryear goes up for auction
Beautiful vintage travel poster collection showing Loch Lomond and Boston of yesteryear goes up for auction – and it’s expected to fetch ONE MILLION BUCKS
The posters, which date from the 1890s through to the 1950s, have been consigned by different collectorsThe selection will go under the hammer with Swann Galleries, of New York, on February 24 One poster in the auction encourages travellers to visit London during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation year
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A stunning selection of vintage ski, travel and advertising posters are tipped to sell for $900,000 (£650,000).
The colourful posters, spanning the 1890s through to the 1950s, promote the halcyon days of European winter holidays.
One 1895 advert for a Boston bicycle manufacturer, the Overman Wheel Company, is expected to fetch $12,254 (£9,000), while another – comedically plugging Irish stout brand Guinness – is valued at $1,000 (£734).
There are also examples that celebrate the jewels in the crown of British tourism, including scenic Loch Lomond. Other posters promote the British steel industry in the late 1940s, the British Empire exhibition in 1924 and seeing Britain by rail in the 1940s.
One of the earliest posters in the sale, boasting over 400 lots, is an 1897 French advertisement for Biscuits Lefevre-Utile – it’s valued at $9,530 (£7,000).
The posters, which have been consigned by different collectors, will go under the hammer with Swann Galleries, of New York.
A Swann Galleries spokesperson said: ‘Boasting more than 400 lots, our auction will offer graphic gems from across the centuries and around the globe. The sale will feature a plethora of enticing travel advertisements, including a highly anticipated selection of winter and ski imagery.’
The sale takes place on February 24. Scroll down to see some of the spectacular posters that are up for grabs…
The above poster is a 1950s British Railways advertisement for visiting Loch Lomond by train or steamer
On the left is a Pan American Airways advert advertising trips to ‘England and all of Europe’ by Alberta Amspoker. It dates back to 1955. The 1897 Biscuits Lefevre poster on the right, showing a girl in a dress made out of sickles and wheat, was designed to show the origin of their snacks. The biscuit brand still exists today, though it has been running under the US company Mondelez International – which also owns Cadbury and Oreo – in recent years
The sale features an amusing 1956 Guinness poster (pictured) showing a bear perched on a lamppost holding a bottle pinched from an unsuspecting member of the public with the words ‘my Goodness, my Guinness’. It is one of a series of adverts by the artist John Gilroy – others featured animals such as polar bears and kangaroos clutching a bottle of the stout
The above poster, illustrated by Gerald Spencer Pryse, was commissioned for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924
The 1940s British Railways advertisement on the left urges travellers to explore Windsor by rail. On the right is a 1953 poster encouraging people to come to London during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation year. It shows members of the Queen’s Horse Guard riding down the Mall past Buckingham Palace
The poster for Victor Bicycles (pictured), manufactured by the Overman Wheel Company of Boston, US, portrays a woman in a black dress on a bike. The Victor Bicycle – the first of which was introduced in 1883 – was the company’s flagship product. Sadly, the company went bankrupt, and, when a fire damaged the business premises, it was forced to close in 1900
Pictured on the left is an Art Nouveau poster by Alphonse Mucha for the French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt, advertising her ‘World’s Tour’ in the 1910s. On the right is a second poster of the actress by Mucha, dating back to circa 1914
On the left, a Swiss ski poster by Andre Lecomte from 1931 advertises the resort of Murren. It’s valued at $6,000 (£4,406). The Art Deco poster on the right, inviting tourists to visit the Swiss resort town of Montreux for the Grand Prix, dates back to 1934. It was illustrated by Johannes Handschin, a ‘leader of the Basel graphic art movement in Switzerland’, according to Swann Galleries. It’s estimated to fetch up to $15,000 (£11,011)
The above vintage British Railways poster by the artist Norman Wilkinson promotes the British steel industry in 1949. Shedding light on the artist’s career, Swann Galleries says: ‘Although he became famous for his maritime paintings, he [Wilkinson] is best known for his prolific poster work for the British railway companies. He also designed posters for shipping companies including White Star Line, Cunard Line, the Allan Line, the Blue Star Line and others’
Pictured on the left is a Casino de Paris poster that dates back to 1930, featuring the entertainer Josephine Baker. It’s thought that the poster will fetch up to $6,000 (£4,405). A 1955 poster by Martin Peikert promoting the Swiss ski resort of Champery, pictured on the right, depicting a glamorous blonde woman lying in the snow, is tipped to go for $9,530 (£7,000)
A poster titled Perfumeria Ladivfer by Francisco de Cidon Navarro. The print, which is estimated to fetch up to $3,500 (£2,570), dates back to 1903
