Absinthe Gempp Pernod poster – Leonetto Cappiello – Vintage alcohol poster 1908

Absinthe Gempp Pernod poster – Leonetto Cappiello – Vintage alcohol poster 1908 In many ways, Leonetto Cappiello’s progression to poster design was an obvious and natural move. Many of his early posters created between 1899 and around 1908 were based in his early work as a caricaturist and this superb Absinthe Gempp Pernod poster is a great example. The bright, bold and colourful vintage alcohol poster was created in 1908 to advertise Absinthe Gempp Pernod. It features a striking image of a young, cheerful-looking redhead against a vivid yellow background. Wearing a long blue-grey dress she is making her way left across the poster. Now she has caught our gaze, she beams radiantly and points to the bottle of the aniseed-flavoured drink, letting us know it’s good. We’re not sure which of his go-to stars Cappiello has used to model for the poster but she does bear a strong resemblance to the same model that appears on Cappiello’s Nuyens’s Menthe, Champagne Delbeck and Le Frou Frou posters as well as his EA Mele and his poster for Absinthe Ducros Fils. They all bear a passing resemblance to Gabrielle Réjane, a popular French actress and singer during the Belle Epoque era. Cappiello featured the star in a poster promoting her own show at the Theatre de Vaudeville in 1902. Cappiello drew inspiration from the works of two artists in particular: Henri Toulouse Lautrec and Jules Cheret. From Toulouse Lautrec, Cappiello borrowed the loose cartoonish style that characterised much of the French artist’s early work. As can be seen in this fabulous Absinthe Gempp Pernod poster the style was particularly well-suited to the large format posters that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, allowing Cappiello to create striking images that could be seen from a distance. Through Cheret, Cappiello understood the importance of featuring women in his posters. Cheret had made a name for himself with posters for French theatres, music halls and night clubs. His posters often featured his “cherettes”, the name his models became known. They were carefree, exuberant women enjoying life. Right from his very first poster for Le Frou Frou Cappiello’s posters captured a similar elegance, beauty and joie de vivre in his characters. Women were to feature on posters for companies such as Pur Champagne Damery, the Folies Bergere, EA Mele, La Giralde, Absinthe Ducros Fils and more. Many of Cappiello’s models were huge stars in Paris during the Belle Epoque era. Odette Dulac, Réjane, Louise Balthy, Polaire and Jeanne Granier would all go on to model for or feature in his posters. Despite the influences, Cappiello’s style was also distinct from that of his contemporaries. He broke away from the elegant style of art nouveau artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Metlicovitch and Henri Privat-Livemont, dismissing the delicate flowers, winding vine tendrils, superfluous backgrounds and muted colour palettes, opting instead for a simpler, bolder, more colourful approach. This allowed the information on his posters to be absorbed more quickly and easily, making them more effective as advertising tools. Cappiello’s early posters were a reflection of the changing times. The early 20th century was a time of great innovation and progress, and Cappiello’s posters embodied this spirit. They were bold, colourful, and dynamic, capturing the excitement and energy of the age. Today, Cappiello’s influence can still be seen in the work of contemporary graphic designers. His bold, simple style has become a hallmark of modern advertising, and his legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists and designers. Absinthe Gempp Pernod – Lunel The Pernod family has a long heritage in the distillery business, with roots dating back to 1792. However, it was not until 1797 that the family’s fortunes truly began to soar. That year, Henri Louis Pernod and his father-in-law, Major Daniel-Henri Dubied, acquired the recipe for a distilled cure-all medicine. It was made up of star anise, fennel, green anise, hyssop, and wormwood. To produce the elixir Dubied, his son Marcelin and Henri Louis Pernod established the first absinthe distillery in Couvet, Switzerland under the name Dubied Père et Fils. The history of Pernod Absinthe really begins in 1805, when, to meet the ever-growing demand of the French market, Pernod founded his own larger absinthe distillery in Pontarlier, France. The distillery was known as Maison Pernod Fils or Pernod Fils. This move proved to be a game-changer for the Pernod family, setting them on a path towards success and prosperity. By 1820 the Pernod distillery was mass producing the aniseed-flavoured beverage with huge success. In the decades that followed Pernod Fils became more and more popular. The drink went on to become the most popular aperitif in France. In its heyday, the Pernod Fils distillery was producing as much as 30,000 litres of absinthe per day and was exporting its product all over the world. By 1910, France’s rate of absinthe consumption had topped some 36 million litres per year. Pernod dominated the market from the late 18th century until the beverage was banned in 1914. The Pernod family had founded distilleries in various parts of France. In 1880, the Lunel distillery became surplus to requirements and was sold off to a Mr Charles Gempp. After purchasing the Lunel distillery, Gempp continued to produce anise-based spirits, cleverly taking advantage of the Pernod name and reputation by branding his absinthe under the name Pernod-Gempp. Other Leonetto Cappiello posters Cappiello created his first poster in 1901. It was for the French magazine Le Frou Frou. It was the start of a 40-year career during which he is estimated to have created over 3,000 posters. Today many of his original lithographic prints fetch some incredible prices. Cappiello’s fabulous 1920  Mistinguett poster by Leonetto Cappiellois a personal favourite. It features the French chanteuse from the vantage point from an opera box with the star looking up towards us. She is dressed in a typically flamboyant white feather dress with long white ribbons billowing around her. She is also wearing a more modest than usual headdress that resembles horns or long ears. A copy of this highly sought-after lithographic print was listed in an online vintage poster auction in 2018. It had a guide price of between $8,000-$10,000. It sold for $15,600. The impressive Automobiles Charron poster featuring a woman climbing into her chauffeur-driven car on her way to Christmas shopping can command prices in excess of £8,000. At the time of listing (2019) a poster created for Bitter Campari, in 1921, depicting one of Cappiello’s characters appearing from a peeling orange skin was listed for just over £15,000. The 1900 poster advertising Cachou Lajaunie breath mints was also available, with a $4,000 price tag. One of his rare travel posters promoting golf in Font-Romeo in its original form fetches over £13,000 on the rare occasions they come to auction. The famous 1929 stone lithographic print for Parapluie Revel featuring three gentlemen battling the weather with their umbrellas is another that can command a hefty price of over £13,000. Other Leonetto Cappiello posters such as the 1927 Cognac Monnet poster with a young woman in a red dress drinking from a cup of sunshine is worth around $7,500, whilst a 1921 print for Cordial Campari Milano depicting a Pierrot-type clown drinking from a bottle of the golden beverage commands a price of $15,000. His poster for another alcoholic drink Contratto depicting a woman holding a huge champagne glass overflowing with drink regularly sells for £4,000. Cappiello’s Cognac Albert Robin poster reaches prices of £6,500 whilst the 1903 poster for Mele titled Novita per Signora sells for more than £32,000. Another popular poster is the 1921 Cafe Martin poster featuring the Turkish man leaping from a cup of coffee that could currently be purchased for a little over £31,000. Even many Leonetto Cappiello reproduction prints sell for between £250-£600. How much is an original Leonetto Cappiello Absinthe Gempp Pernod poster worth? Leonetto Cappiello’s impact on the world of poster art cannot be overstated. His innovative style and use of bold colours, simple shapes, and striking typography helped to redefine the way that advertising was done, setting the stage for modern graphic design. Original stone lithographed copies of this fabulous Absinthe Gempp Pernod poster currently (2021) sell for in the region of $18,500. Of course, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectable poster isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall. Order your copy today, then go and get yourself a drink to celebrate. Our superb reproduction vintage absinthe wall art could be with you hanging on your wall in just a few days! Cheers!