French Vintage Poster ‘Fetes de Charite de la Mi-Careme’, 1920s

This is a rare French Art Nouveau period advertising poster for a Lent charity festival in Marseille from the early 1900s. It is a beautifully unique piece, embracing several hallmarks of the art nouveau period: bold and saturated color, violent undulating curves, and an off balanced asymmetrical frame. The poster depicts two reveling women, one playing a pan flute while the other dances in a semi-nude state; both wearing Romanesque sandals. The light green and dappled pink of the women’s dresses and the gold background creates an airiness that reinforces the debauched festivity on display. In the bottom right of the poster it says, “Battle of Flowers in the Borley Park Fort – Green and Pink.” This is a gorgeous and unique example of Art Nouveau poster art, and its rarity only makes it more spectacular.

This original lithographic advertisement was printed by Vercasson & Cie, Paris 1900s.