French Belle Epoque Wine & Spirits Poster ‘Distillerie Roger Lurguie’ by Pean, 1900s

This is a French Art Nouveau period advertising poster for Distillerie Roger Lurguié by René Péan. This lithograph features a simple yet exquisitely crafted image of a dancer in the center of the poster. She stands with her arms outstretched, head turned to the side, one leg pointed out in front of her; a white and blue headpiece with a veil extends out behind her and down around her shoulders. The dancer’s dress features a pink leotard on top with an extravagant skirt with stripes of white and pastel colors, almost resembling flowers. Surrounding the dancer is large gold typography on the top of the image, “Distillerie Roger Lurguié.” At the bottom there is smaller black lettering providing further information on Roger Lurguié alcohol. The colors use in this image, coupled with the feeling of quick short brushstrokes, mimics the feeling of the greatest art of the Impressionist movement.

René Péan was a painter, illustrator, and poster artist. He was a pupil of Jules Cheret, the father of the French poster. He worked in the Cheret’s studio, Imprimerie Chaix, from 1895 to 1913, where he created many posters for entertainment and leisure industries such as theatre, tourism, and department stores, to name just a few.