Description

Alphonse Mucha 1898 “JOB” poster. Printed by: “Imp. F Champenois 66 Boul, St Michel, Paris” in 1898

Very good (A-) condition with toning throughout and less under matting. Linen backed with contemporary frame under plexiglass ready to hang.

Measures: Poster 61 x 41 inches Frame 63.5 x 45 inches

Poster for ‘Job’ cigarette paper (1898) ‘JOB’ is a trademark for the Joseph Bardou company, manufacturers of cigarette papers. In this poster, Mucha’s stylised depiction of hair, known at the time as macaroni or vermicelli, is both decorative and sensual. With her curled up toe – a symbol of female sexual arousal – and the raised tip of her cigarette, Mucha produces a sexually charged poster. The clasp which holds the woman’s dress together, based on the Job monogramme, draws the eye of the viewer to her chest.

This is a Mucha Classic by any criterion. From the circular motif and refined composition to the bold and harmonious use of color and type, even down to the deliciously designed hands, as L’Estampe et l’Affiche said in 1898, it all comes together with unsurpassed grace, beauty and force. This is Mucha’s second poster for Job. It’s also interesting how Mucha placed the Job brand throughout the poster, the wallpaper, the brooch and of course on the product itself.