Ski & Winter Imagery Lead Swann Galleries' March 16 Sale of Vintage Posters

New York—On Thursday, March 16, Swann Galleries will hold an auction of Vintage Posters, featuring the house’s strongest selection of ski posters to date.

Many fine early examples of ski and winter resort posters for France, Germany and Switzerland include the dramatic St. Moritz, 1924, by Carl Moos, expected to fetch $12,000 to $18,000, and Elsa Moeschlin’s jaunty Arosa / XIII. Grosses Skirennen der Schweiz, 1918 ($4,000 to $6,000). There are also exceptional American images, including Dwight Clark Shepler’s Sun Valley / Ketchum, Idaho, circa 1940, and the exceedingly rare Sun Valley Lodge / Union Pacific Railroad, circa 1940 ($8,000 to $12,000 and $1,200 to $1,8000, respectively), of which the only other known copy is in the collection of the Boston Public Library. There is an assortment of strong art deco ski posters, as well as iconic works by the masters Erich Hermès, Ludwig Hohlwein, Franz Lenhart, Sascha Maurer and Mario Puppo.

A run of Art Nouveau work by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec includes Jane Avril, 1893 ($50,000 to $75,000) and P. Sescau / Photographe, 1894, estimated between $30,000 and $40,000. Also available is the rare deluxe edition on vellum of Alphonse Mucha’s Salon des Cent, 1896, valued at $20,000 to $30,000. The cover lot for the sale, Le Frou Frou by the artist Weiluc, was used in 1900 for a naughty humor magazine of the same name, and is here expected to sell between $12,000 and $18,000. Other artists represented in this section include Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen with the iconic Tournée du Chat Noir, 1896 ($12,000 to $18,000), as well as Paul Berthon, Jules Chéret, Privat-Livemont and ?douard Vuillard.

A strong selection of Work Incentive posters is led by Teamworkers Are in Demand / You Win When All Win, 1927, and Winners Never Pass the Buck! / Face the Music and Go Ahead, 1927, each valued at $4,000 to $6,000. There are also propaganda posters from World War I and II from both sides of the front, as well as Soviet posters as early as 1920. Jim Crow and Civil Rights posters include Symeon Shimin’s poignant Jim Crow Is His Enemy - America’s Enemy - My Enemy, circa 1948 ($4,000 to $6,000).

Literary posters feature a selection of Scribner’s advertisements by Howard Chandler Christy, James Montgomery Flagg and Robert J. Wildhack, whose design for Scribner’s March, 1907, is estimated at $1,500 to $2,000. Also available is a rare version in green of Aubrey Beardley’s The Yellow Book, 1894 ($1,000 to $1,500), and several fine examples of The Chap Book by William H. Bradley.

Circus, magic show and theatrical advertisements abound, showcasing such amusements as Airplane Rides / Inman Bros. Flying Circus, circa 1929, which boasted a “long high ride” for $1, but here is expected to fetch $4,000 to $6,000.

Domestic and international travel posters feature favorites by master Roger Broders, including Lac D’Annecy, 1930, and Dunkerque, circa 1930 ($3,000 to $4,000 and $8,000 to $12,000, respectively). Several posters depicting bathing beauties by Jean-Gabriel Domergue are also available, led by L’?té á Monte - Carlo, 37, estimated at $2,000 to $3,000. There are also stunning works by Adolphe Mouron Cassandre and Jupp Wiertz, and American images by Joseph Binder, Leslie Ragan and Don Perceval.

The sale will include a selection of early movie posters, led by the 1917 release of Adventures of Buffalo Bill, which is estimated at $8,000 to $12,000.

The auction will be held Thursday, March 16, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The auction preview will be open to the public Saturday, March 11 from noon to 5 p.m. and Monday, March 13 through Wednesday, March 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A printed auction catalogue is available for $35 via www.swanngalleries.com.

For further information or to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please contact Swann President and Director of Vintage Posters, Nicholas D. Lowry at 212-254-4710, extension 57 or posters@swanngalleries.com.

Image: Lot 39 Carl Moos, St. Moritz, 1924. Estimate $12,000 to $18,000.