Alphonse MUCHA (1860-1939) - Lot 50

Alphonse MUCHA (1860-1939) Exposition internationale de Saint-Louis, April 30-November 30, 1903 - Variant with indication of the Commissariat Général du Gouvernement Français. Chromolithograph. Not canvas-backed. Imp. F. Champenois, Paris. Signed and dated lower right. 106 x 77 cm (Good condition. Marked folds, clean tear at bottom center, flaws in margins. Very fresh colors. Very rare. Unlike commercial posters for brands such as Job, Moët & Chandon or bicycles, this poster was intended to raise awareness among potential French exhibitors. As it was a small target, and therefore a small print run, a second poster was produced, indicating to whom it should be addressed. Cruel omission of the first! Ours bears a stamp in the top left-hand corner with the date February 4, 1904 - probably the date of receipt. This was probably too late, as the exhibition was due to open on April 30. So it remained folded!) Bibliography: Jack Rennert, Alain Weill - Alphonse Mucha: Toutes les Affiches et Panneaux - Éditions Henri Veyrier, Paris, 1984. Our poster is reproduced on pp. 130-131 as no. 87, variant 1.