Georges Ferdinand Bigot Propaganda Postcard
In 1904 Russia and Japan went to war. It was a brutal conflict that co-incided with the early years of the postcard industry. Military postcards from the era are scarce but, with focused attention, they can be found. The most accessible items are the 'documentary' postcards published by Tuck and Hildesheimer with printed photographic and artist images of the conflict. Much harder to find are Russo Japanese War Propaganda postcards and I have attached a splendid example that is both unusual and interesting.

The Japanese military man stands over the conquered Asian continent. He holds the blood stained knife of the victor, in the ocean around the globe are the skulls of the vanquished. Russia, India, Pakistan, and so on is labelled "Empire d'Asie", the Asian Empire (of Japan). The card is captioned La Reve or 'The Dream' and was published in Paris by ZTN. It has an undivided back (France introduced divided backs in 1904) and is series numbered 102.

The artist adds a good layer of interest to the postcard, it is signed Bigot.

Georges Ferdinand Bigot had learnt to love Japan but on this postcard he viciously mocks the nation. He was a Frenchman, born in 1860 in Paris. His mother was an artist and from his early teens he studied Art at the Paris School of Fine Arts. Apprenticed to Jean-Leon Gerome, he fell in love with Japanese Art. By 1876 Bigot was working in Paris as a book and newspaper illustrator, a career choice that led to a move in 1882 to Japan.

Georges F Bigot was to spend 17 years in Japan. He worked as a journalist, a war correspondent during the Sino-Japanese War, and as a teacher of Art and the French Language. Taking full advantage of his new location, he travelled the country illustrating what he saw. While in love with the old feudal Japan, Bigot was in the country at the time of considerable change and he became critical of the Meiji period modernization, publishing increasingly satirical caricatures.

In 1899 Bigot returned to France to continue work as as a satirical illustrator and to publish the image you see on the attached postcard.

Bigot died in 1927. It is said that his work is well known and collected in Japan but remains undiscovered in his own country.

Please visit AboutCards for this and other excellent postcard collector resources.

Posted by
Labels: artist military postcard

Postcards were extensively used as an advertising medium in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Some were used for customer correspondence, many given away with the advertised product; others were issued at trade exhibitions or were given to schools and Sunday Schools for use as 'reward cards' for children.

Attached is a poster style Edwardian postcard advertising the company we today know as Rank Hovis McDougal. The postcard dates from the early 1900's and features the original 1901 company name "Joseph Rank Limited" and their, then new and state of the art, Clarence Mills in Hull Yorkshire. To the top of the card is a brand name "As You Like It Flour", a bread flour that the company continues to offer today.

Joseph Rank (1854 - 1943) was the son of a Hull miller.

Vittorio Zecchin Postcard Artist, Salome, Beardsley and Klimt.

Three fabulous early postcards.  I distinctly remember buying a large early 1900's collection just to secure these postcards.  It was in my early days as a collector and at first I struggled to identify the artist.  Published in Turin by F Polenghi the postcards carried no artist detail though the work seemed to be in the Vienna Secessionist style and influenced by Gustav Klimt.

It's sad that these anthropormorphic (animals presented as human) postcards are often only referred to as 'Mainzer Cat' postcards.  Alfred Mainzer was the publisher.  The often forgotten artist was Eugen Hartung (1897-1973).  It's hard to think of other artist illustrated postcards that are commonly associated with the publisher name rather than that of the artist.

The images are great fun and full of detail, children love them.

Victorian and Edwardian military postcards are a splendid resource.  You'll find images of troops in action, military uniform detail, some excellent map postcards,  propaganda and mocking postcards, patriotic, sentimental, comic, and much more.  

At first glance it's easy to be drawn to the imagery but sometimes a plainer item oozes history as the simple example on this page demonstrates.

It's a Boer War Postcard.

Horses and warfare. During the 1914 - 1918 First World War millions of postcards were sent home by troops with the embroidered silk postcard being particularly favoured by both sender and recipient.  Those sending the cards saw them as something out of the ordinary, as a special and beautiful thing to send home at a time of hardship and horror.  Recipients treasured and preserved the cards as memories of their loved ones fighting for King and Country.

The birth of Art Nouveau co-incided with the late Victorian boom in illustrated postcards.  The humble postcard of that era was the equivalent of todays email or text message,  the best examples carriying a superb chromo lithographic image to delight the recipient.   High quality colour printing was fairly new at the time and for those used only to seeing monochrome prints the effect must have been wonderful.

Artists of the era were courted by postcard publishers for their work.

Sometimes a collectible postcard just shouts out. This is one. Three black cats playing tennis.

The artist was Louis Wain. If you collect cat postcards then you'll know about Wain (if not then check here). This example has everything. Black cats for good luck. A sport theme illustrated by Wain.

It's from an Edwardian series published by Philco and posted in 1908.

Rather nice.......

Early postcards featuring cats and other pet animals are particularly popular with collectors today

The splendid examples you see on this page were the work of Dorothy Travers Pope, an Edwardian era artist whom we know remarkably little about today. There's no biography that I know of,  no mention in the newspapers of her era, and so on.  The limited information I've collated has come from census records and other genealogy sources.

Among the most frequently viewed items on this web site have been the photographic postcards featuring Edwardian ladies and their exotic hats.

Given the interest in the subject I thought it would be nice to present some artist illustrated postcards on the same theme and from the same era.

The images you see on this page are the work of artist Edwin H Kiefer.

Over the years I've grown to love Arthur Thiele postcards.  Outside of his home country Thiele is largely known for his anthropomorphic animals, but there is very much more available.

There is considerable confusion on the internet regarding Thiele. Various names and dates are given in biographies and many confuse him with other Thieles, particularly the landscape painter Julius Arthur Thiele (1841-1919).
Popular Posts
Popular Posts
Blog Archive
Blog Archive
Labels
Labels
Translate
Translate
Loading
Copyright 2013 it's a Linda Kelly.Web Site. Dynamic Views theme. Powered by Blogger. Report Abuse.