Original French bond poster linen WW1 First World War I WWI WWi 1916 Robaudi

Description

Original 1916 French lithograph supporting
the Second National Defense Loan
, a bond drive held in October-November 1916, the third year of the war for France. The image shows French citizens of all ages and social classes laying contributions at the feet of Marianne, the female personification of the Republic, seated before the Arc de Triomphe, originally built by Napoleon Bonaparte to commemorate his military victories. The caption reads: "Forward, Savings Army, It's for the Motherland."  Artist is Alcide Robaudi, a painter and illustrator who also owned his own lithography business in Cannes (see the printer's mark on the poster). This poster is notable because it is an early example of what is today called "offset" printing technology (itself the predecessor of dot matrix printing), whereas the vast majority of WWI posters in France were printed using traditional stone lithography. The French called offset lithography "photographic posters" (affiches photographiques), a term also printed on the poster.  Poster dimensions are 47 x 31 inches
. Newly linen backed (10 oz cotton canvas + 100 lb cotton paper) and acid-neutralized. Excellent condition. Poster lies perfectly flat; straight edges; strong colors; no fold lines. Poster will ship rolled in a hard tube. Flat shipping for US lower 48. International buyers pay actual shipping via a service of their choice. Please see my other current auctions of French and American WW I posters, as well as my feedback on previous poster sales. Combined shipping on multiple purchases.