French Vintage Art Nouveau Automobile Headlight “Alpha B.R.C.” Poster by Chapellier, c.1900

This is a rare French Art Nouveau period advertisement for car headlights; at the turn of the century, headlights did not come with the car, but instead had to be purchased separately. This original poster shows the best headlights for your car – the Alpha B.R.C. They won the first prize in competitions in the cities of Berlin, Tours, and Lyon, as stated in lettering at the bottom of the poster. This is a stunning image of a woman sitting on the top from of a car, draped in an elegant Romanesque robe, holding a brightly-beaming headlight, on a starry night.

This original lithograph was designed and printed by Philippe Chapellier, Paris 1900. The image begins one and a half inches in from the edge.