Lot 115

Geo Ham (Georges Hamel) (1900-1972)
Monaco 1935

“The Monaco Grand Prix—now a Formula One motor race—was first organised by the Automobile Club of Monaco in 1929. The race immediately became a yearly feature for the principality and a major race on the Grand Prix calendar.

“This vintage poster by Geo Ham was created for the 1935 Monaco Grand Prix and shows the winner of the 1934 race: the Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 driven by Guy Moll.

“Later, the 1935 race was dominated by the Mercedes-Benz team with Italian driver Luigi Fazioli. Their 3.99 litre car was the most powerful and led the race from start to finish, leaving the Alfa Romeos and Maserati in the following four places.”

Lot 117

Sandy Hook (Georges Taboureau) (1879-1960)
Bresil-Plata

“The Paraná River, often called the ‘Father of the Waters’, flows through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, ending in the Río de la Plata estuary. Its geographic position has meant a development of sea transportation, mostly cargo but also passengers.

“This vintage poster by Sandy Hook—who was well known for his work for shipping posters—shows how the French shipping company Chargeurs Réunis tried to lure passengers on their ships. Chargeur Réunis were mainly cargo orientated but, to maximize their ship, they also carried passengers. This poster suggests how luxurious travelling with them from Brazil to Plata could be.”

Lot 5

Abram Games (1914-1996)
Join the ATS

“This 1941 vintage poster by Abram Games attracted attention before it was even bill posted for being too sexy, too alluring and not representing women ‘correctly’.

“Winston Churchill and his government believed it portrayed the wrong message and would attract the ‘wrong’ type of woman to the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Parliament banned the poster and demanded that it be reprinted. A much dowdier recruiting poster was created in its place.

“The Blonde Bombshell (as this poster became known) was never used and most copies were destroyed, as paper was scarce during the war. A few did survive today, making this a very rare work.”

Lot 15

Kenneth Shoesmith (1890-1939)
Penang, British Malaya, Empire Marketing Board

“Controversy was never far away from the Empire Marketing Board (EMB). Since its founding in 1926 to promote trade around the Empire, its unusual and innovative operations have ensured that it was the subject of frequent political and public comment. Their support of goods produced in the colonies, for example, created an uproar among British producers, as they felt they were not being promoted.”

Lot 102

Jean-Gabriel Domergue (1889-1962)
Monte-Carlo

“French painter Jean-Gabriel Domergue is known for his portraits of lithe, elongated women in comely pose. This sun-bronzed, blonde bathing beauty is sitting against a pale yellow background and staring off at, perhaps, one of Monaco’s casinos, the marina, or another of the principality’s attractions.”

The late 19th century saw a boom in transportation, with France planning 17,000km of railroad lines and Great Britain introducing over 100 railway companies. This, in turn, saw the rise of travel posters to advertise towns, destinations and services.

Lot 146

Ruedolf (1885-1950)
Visitez L'extreme-Orient par les Messageries Maritimes, Peking

“This poster inviting viewers to visit the Far East includes the additional text at the bottom ‘Par les Messageries Maritimes’ (‘Via the Messageries Maritimes’) but, often, other versions of the same poster show it without this line. The Messageries Maritimes was a French shipping company who wanted to inspire passengers to travel with them. Here, we see camels drinking at one of the gates of Beijing (Peking).”

Bid in our Vintage Posters Online auction until 2 February. If you have any questions, please contact Richard.Barclay@bonhams.com