Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 31 1/4 x 25 1/4 in./79.4 x 64 cm
Condition: Cond B+/Slight tears at folds.
Printer: Imp. R. Monnier, Bordeaux
Reference:

Grézy/Hutchinson.
What a curious advertisement, one whose incongruous parts–its prickly desert setting and minstrelized caricature of shoeless servitude, most specifically–don’t exactly create a logical whole–would anyone be dim enough to actually drive through a field of cactus instead of around it? And even if someone was that clueless, were cacti ever considered to be a serious threat to tires? Regardless of its exaggerated nonsensical approach, the anonymous design creates a cartoonish impression for Grézy bicycles–the brand that never breaks down–and Hutchinson tires–the puncture-proof pneumatic.

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 48 1/4 x 36 1/8 in./122.6 x 91.7 cm
Condition: Cond B+/Slight tears at folds; a few printer’s creases.
Printer: Imp. Hirne, Paris
Reference:

Tapioca de la Couronne.
A yowling infant, a naughty feline, an overly-concerned older sister, a gawking middle sibling, a mother who appears to have taken a tablet or two of the Belle Epoque equivalent of Xanax and a domestic who’s rightfully amused by the mess playing itself out in front of him. The only one’s not acting-up: the diminutive hounds seated to the left, pups who we suspect are just biding their time for an opportunity to lap-up the remnants of the soup thickened with Crown Tapioca. A regally amusing advertisement.

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: Each: 39 x 117 3/8 in./99 x 298 cm
Condition: Cond B-/Slight tears and stains, largely at folds, seam and edges.
Printer: Raleigh & Robert, Paris
Reference:

Combat de Boxe/Jack Johnson-Jim Jeffries: Two Posters. 1910.
These literally larger-than-life-size portraits were used to promote the filmed release of this historic heavyweight bout. Jack Johnson (1878-1946), born John Arthur Johnson in Galveston, Texas, emerged from the battle royals (dehumanizing fights between blacks for the amusement of white patrons) of his youth–he won his first professional 16-round match-up just shy of his sixteenth birthday–to defeat Tommy Burns in 1908 to become the world's first African-American heavyweight champion. Jim “The Boilermaker” Jeffries (1875-1953)–who stood 6 feet-3 inches tall and weighed in at 225 pounds in his prime–was an astounding natural athlete known for his enormous strength and stamina. Jeffries reigned as the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1899 to 1904, at which point he retired, having never lost a fight. He was revered by many people and considered the greatest athlete in the world. Jeffries came out of retirement to fight Johnson–dropping seventy-five pounds to do so–as a “Great White Hope,” and in his own words said he was responding to "that portion of the white race that has been looking to [him] to defend its athletic superiority." And though the racial overtones of the fight can’t be overlooked, the outcome was never in doubt once the first-round bell rang out–the fight-conditioned Johnson won easily beneath the sweltering midday sun of Reno, Nevada on July 4, 1910. The filmed version of the fight was done by nine cameramen, from the Essanay, Selig Polyscope and Vitagraph companies, and was released as a reserved-seat attraction, with a running time of over two hours. Because of the fight’s outcome–a black boxer besting a white one–the film was banned in some southern cities. Rare!

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 37 x 49 3/8 in./94 x 125.4 cm
Condition: Cond B/Slight tears and stains, largely at folds.
Printer: Druck Gesellschaft Für Graphische Industrie, Wien
Reference: Ref: PAI-XXX, 377

Ghaza.
It’s amazing what the cigarette smoking public at large will buy into in order to indulge in their preferred addiction. Take this promotion for Ghaza prefabricated rolling paper tubes for example. Apparently, there must have been a stir over which contained more nicotine: prepackaged or hand-rolled smokes. Being an advocate of rolling your own, the text of this poster proclaims “Banish the Nicotine Devil” in reference to their rivals. What this has to do with the Middle Eastern fellow prancing against the Islamic relief–other than attempting to make the papers themselves rather than the tobacco seem exotic–remains a mystery.

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 35 x 50 in./89 x 127 cm
Condition: Cond A-/Unobtrusive tears at edges.
Printer: Polygrapische Gesellschaft Laupen, Bern
Reference:

Tobler Chocolat.
An ebon-toned changeling pair gambol their way through an arbor-tinged carnival locale–complete with strewn confetti and Chinese lanterns–to advertise a trio of Tobler chocolates, including the less-than-flattering “Nimrod.” These imps aren’t the promotional icon typically associated with the chocolate, best known for their triangular chunks–which represent the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps–and its distinctive packaging. Toblerone was created by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann in Bern, Switzerland in 1908. The two gentlemen developed a unique milk chocolate that included nougat, almonds and honey. The product's name combines Tobler's name with the Italian word torrone (a type of nougat).