1910s Prints and Multiples

2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme. Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme. Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come. The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender. The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication. Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size. Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works. R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans...

Original WW1 poster: Kosciuszko Pulawski. Walczyli o wolnosc w Ameryce. Czy ty pomozesz Ameryce walczyc o wolnosc w Polsce? They fought for freedom in America. Will you help Ameri...

Original World War One: Go Over With U.S. Marines. E-E-E-YAH-YIP. This charging leather neck holds his Springfield high. The cropped design was influenced by candid photography, ...

Authentic Vintage World War I Recruitment Poster - A Rare Piece of Historical Memorabilia. Archival linen backed and ready to frame. ...

The Matador. 1911. Drypoint. Hardie 109. 6 7/8 x 10 7/8 (sheet 7 7/8 x 12). Edition 15. A few scattered foxing marks and slight mat line; otherwise fine o...

Artist: (after) Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (German, 1884-1976) Title: "Sitzende Frau mit Blüten (Seated Woman with Flowers)" Series: Die Aktion Year: 1914 Medium: The Complete Vol. 4, No. 11 issue of 'Die Aktion' with a Lithograph on cream smooth wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: F.E. Haag, Melle, Hanover, Germany Publisher: Verlag der Wochenschrift DIE AKTION, Berlin, Germany Sheet size: 12.25" x 9.25" Image size: 3.82" x 3.25" Condition: Toning to sheets (as normal). Light water staining at center right edge and upper right corner. Some separation and small paper losses at spine. It is otherwise in very good condition Extremely rare A very nice copy of this extremely scarce issue Notes: Provenance: private collection - Fürstenberg/Havel, Germany. The lithograph on the cover is a smaller-sized reproduction after Schmidt-Rottluff's 1913 larger original signed woodcut engraving edition, ("Das Graphische Werk Bis 1923" - Schapire No. 114, page 28). Published March 14th, 1914. A total of 14 pages. There is an example of this complete issue in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY. In 1911 Franz Pfemfert, a cantankerous critic of capitalism and Wilhelmine society, founded Die Aktion as a political and literary journal. In April of the following year, a new subtitle declared the journal a "weekly for politics, literature, and art." Although politics remained the priority, Die Aktion began featuring visual art coverage as well as original prints and illustrations. Artist Max Oppenheimer (MOPP) worked closely with 'Die Aktion' in its early years, portraying in its pages many of the young writers who gave the journal its distinctive voice. Egon Schiele made his first woodcuts at Pfemfert's urging in 1916, for publication in the journal. Other frequent contributors included Ludwig Meidner and, later, Conrad Felixmüller and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Adamantly opposed to World War I, Pfemfert skirted tightened censorship from August 1914 to October 1918 by treating contemporary events only through artistic and literary allusions. At a time when reading books by foreign authors was considered unpatriotic, he dedicated entire issues of Die Aktion to Russian, French, and Belgian authors and artists. In late 1918, however, Pfemfert resumed vocal political critique, siding with the radical left. His selection of prints, formerly varied, became overtly political. After 1921, he ceased art coverage altogether, decreased the number of issues, and used the publication exclusively as a mouthpiece for his own increasingly partisan views. Biography: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (born December 1, 1884, Rottluff, near Chemnitz, Germany—died August 9, 1976, West Berlin [now Berlin]), German painter and printmaker who was noted for his Expressionist landscapes and nudes. In 1905 Schmidt-Rottluff began to study architecture in Dresden, Germany, where he and his friend Erich Heckel met Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Fritz Bleyl...

The European Macabre Dance N.38 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915. Signed ...

Lithograph on vélin des papeteries Lafúma paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the album, Le manuscrit trouvé dans un chapeau, orné de dessins a la ...

Medium: lithograph (after the drawing). This composition was executed by Paul Signac in homage to Paul Cezanne, printed in 1914 and published in Paris by Bernheim-Jeune for the rare ...

Medium: original etching. This impression on laid paper was printed in 1912 and published in Paris by the Revue de l'Art ancien et moderne. Plate size: 4 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches (110 x 24...

Rainy Night in Rome Drypoint, 1913 Signed in pencil and titled in the lower margin by the artist (see photo) Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, Stock # A6538 Reference; Doddgson 299 _/X ...

The European Macabre Dance N.8 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915. Signed ...

Original “Eat Less” 1918 vintage First World War poster. This is a less seldom seen poster variation. The other version has the wording, "This is What God Gives Us." The image i...

Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918), AUSTRIA “ART CANNOT BE MODERN, ART IS PRIMORDIALLY ETERNAL.” -SCHIELE Defiantly iconoclastic in life and art, Egon Schiele is esteemed for his masterfu...

A set of 8 erotic early 20th Century wood engravings on arches paper, a limited edition, number 241 of 1000, by Andre Rouveyre. Produced by Kauffmann on...

LUXIOR. Original antique French turn of the century rare antique automobile poster. Printer / atelier:: Henri Privat Livemont. Size: 15.75" ...

B.J.O. Nordfeldt, 'Broad Street (Wall Street)', etching, edition not stated, c. 1915. Signed in pencil. A superb impression, with rich burr, selectively wiped plate tone, and inky plate edges, on cream wove paper; the full sheet with margins (3/4 to 1 1/4 inches), in excellent condition. Printed by the artist. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Impressions of this work are in the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Princeton University, Smithsonian American Art Museum. A view looking down Broad Street past the New York Stock Exchange Building on the right with the columned Federal Hall...

Héliogravure, collotype vélin paper. Paper Size: 18.23 x 17.32 inches; image size: 12.56 x 6.3 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the fol...

Corinth, Lovis. WEIBLICHER AKT MIT BREITKREMPIGEM HUT (Female Nude with Broad-Brimmed Hat). Schwartz 226A. Etching, 1916. 11 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches, 300 x 198 mm. The earlier version, be...

Signed in pencil and annotated "imp" lower right; Dedicated lower left: "To Bob Nisbet from…" Note: Desgined by William M. Kendall of McKim, Mead and White, this classical skyscra...

Original World War 1 poster: Uncle Sam Needs That Extra Shovelful (of Coal.) If you like the Uncle Sam image, this is a good one to have. Help Unc...

Original poster: . Come On!, By more Liberty Bonds. Artist: Walter Whitehead. Professional acid-free archival linen backing. A- condition. Small ...

Medium: original soft ground etching. This is a lifetime impression printed in 1914 on laid paper and published in Berlin by Bruno Cassirer for Theodore Duret's "Die Impressionisten"...

ELMO THE MIGHTY, original 1919 lobby card, not signed. Protected in a 16" x 20" acid-free presentation mat suitable for framing. This lobby card is over 100 years old. Original,...

Leonetto Cappiello's 1912 original poster, "Agua de Vilajuiga," is a timeless gem in the world of vintage advertising. This iconic artwork not only promotes a ...

Verde e Azzurro is a colored lithographed original manifesto on cardboard, realized around 1914 by the Italian artist Enrico Sacchetti. Printed by Officine Ricordi, Milan, this adver...

Orphée (for Le bestiaire ou Cortège d’Orphée de G. Apollinaire) Raoul Dufy French (1877–1953) Date: 1911 Woodblock, signed in pencil lower right Image Size: 10 x 8 inches Frame Siz...

Rainy NIght in Rome.. 1913. Drypoint. Dodgson 299.x. 12 x 9 (sheet 16 x 11 1/4). Edition 125 in 10 states. A rich impression with burr and tonal wiping. Pr...

After Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918), AUSTRIA “ART CANNOT BE MODERN, ART IS PRIMORDIALLY ETERNAL.” -SCHIELE Defiantly iconoclastic in life and art, Egon Schiele is esteemed for his mas...

Original vintage poster: THE GREATEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD. archivally linen backed. Very clean. Artist: Alonzo Earl Foringer. Lithograph, circa 1917-1918. Good condition, restored tear near the center top in the white area, ready to frame. Loosely based on Michelangelo's "Pieta," the image in this poster depicts a monumental Red Cross nurse...

BARBIER, George. Nijinsky in Cleopatre. London, C. W. Beaumont, 1913. ‘The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression produced by Nijinsky in hi...

Héliogravure on japanese paper realized by Fraz von Bayros in 1913 for Ex Libris Verlag K. Th. Senger, Munich. Mounted on passepartout. Edition of 260, hand signed in pencil by the ...

Erotic scene is an original Héliogravure artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by Micheal Von Zichy in 1911. Printed in only 300 copies, Leipzig; ...

Erotic scene is an original Héliogravure artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by Micheal Von Zichy in 1911. Printed in only 300 copies, Leipzig; Privatdruck, from the Catalogue ...

The European Macabre Dance N.7 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915. Signed on the plate, Original Edition. Published by Domenico Longo, Treviso. Handcolored lithographic postcards. Very good conditions. Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 - Milan, 1954); was an Italian draftsman, painter, engraver and illustrator, forerunner of the surrealist movement...

Les Laveuses, 2e Pensee (The Washerwomen) Lithograph, c. 1910 Unsigned (as issued) Edition: c.30-50 impressions Condition: Rust spot, associated with pape...

The European Macabre Dance N.5 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915. Signed ...

Original: I summon you to the comradeship, Woodrow Wilson vintage poster from 1918, issued by the Red Cross. The poster has been archivally mounted on...

Original WW1 US propaganda poster designed by Charles Livingston Bull (1874-1932) and entitled “Keep Him Free Buy War Savings Stamps”. This poster was issued to promote the US Treasu...

Original “This Device on Hat or Helmet means U. S. MARINES” vintage poster. Archivally linen-backed in excellent condition. No paper loss an...

Original World War 1 vintage poster: Food Will Wn the War. Arhival linen backed. PRINTER: Rusling Wood Litho., New York Bright and in good condition. There is some marks down the left side of the poster, possible ink from when the poster was printed. This poster calls on immigrants to do their part in the war effort. It depicts recent immigrants standing near a sailing ship with the Statue of Liberty and a rainbow stretched across the New York City skyline in the background. The text reads: You came here seeking Freedom. You must now help preserve it. Wheat is needed by the allies. Waste nothing. The generosity and compassion of the American people and the great agricultural resources of the North American continent would be called upon... Twenty million Americans signed pledges of membership in the Food Administration...

Thomas Balfour Garrett, 'Search', monotype in colors, c. 1910, a unique impression. Signed and titled in pencil. A superb, painterly impression with fresh colors on off-white, wove p...

Raoul Dufy, 'La Danse' (Dance), woodcut, 1910. A proof impression before the second edition of 220 in 1953; with the estate stamp 'ATELIER RAOUL DUFY' in the lower right margin; the blind stamp 'GG' in the lower left sheet corner. Annotated 'E/Z' in pencil, beneath the estate stamp; and 'bois original' in the margin, lower left. Titled in the block, lower right. A superb, richly-inked impression, on heavy, cream wove paper; the full sheet with wide margins (3 1/2 to 6 3/4 inches); slight toning at the bottom and right sheet edges, well away from the image, otherwise in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 12 5/16 x 12 1/2 inches (313 x 318 mm); sheet size 19 3/4 x 25 3/4 inches (502 x 654 mm). Collections: Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia), Brooklyn Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Nasher Museum of Art (Duke University), Toledo Art Museum. From the suite of four woodcuts entitled 'Les Plaisirs de la Paix' (The Pleasures of Peace), published by Éditions de La Sirène, Paris in 1926. The other three works in the series are 'La Peche' (Fishing), 'La Chase' (The Hunt), and 'L'amore' (Love). See our other listings for 'La Peche' and 'L'amore'. Collections: Brooklyn Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Cleveland Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Minneapolis Art...

Lithograph on vélin des papeteries Lafúma paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition, with centerfold, as issued. Notes: From the album, Le manuscrit trouvé dans un ch...

The original vintage poster by Emil Cardinaux for the Jungfrau Railway in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, is a classic example of early 20th-century travel advertising. Emil Cardi...

Corriere della Sera is a beautiful and rare colored lithograph printed by G. Ricordi and C. Milano, Milan in 1910. A vintage poster for the renown...

Title page numbered: 263/450

Erotic scene is an original Héliogravure artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by Micheal Von Zichy in 1911. Printed in only 300 copies, Leipzig;...

The Picador Incites the Bull. 1911. Drypoint. Hardie 104. 6 1/4 x 9 7/8 (sheet 8 1/4 x 11 7/8). Edition 30, #5. Slight mat line, 1 hinge stain in the lower margin, well outside the i...

Mueller, Otto. STEHENDE KNABE UND ZWEI MADCHEN. Karsch 67. Lithograph, 1917. 12 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches; 323 x 250 mm. Monogrammed in the stone. Edition of about 300. In excellent conditi...

Lithograph on vélin des papeteries Lafúma paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the album, Le manuscrit trouvé dans un chapeau, orné de dessins a la ...

Medium: original etching and drypoint. Catalogue reference: Hardie 367. Signed in pencil. Executed in 1910, this is a nice impression with plate tone printed on laid paper. Plate siz...

Title page numbered: 263/450. Collotype is presented in a handmade, gold-leaf frame.

The Pool of London. c. 1915. Etching and drypoint. 7 7/8 x 15 7/8 (sheet 11 x 14 7/8 x 21 1/4). A rich impression with drypoint burr printed on the full sheet of simili-Japan paper. ...

Original poster: Haddon Hall. Original theater vintage poster, archival linen backed. Printed in the United Kingdom. Vintage theater poster...

Antique Rooster Portrait Prosper Alphonse Isaac (France, 1858-1924) Woodblock Print circa 1910 9 x 7 1/8 (15 1/4 x 17 frame) inches The excellent book "The Great Wave: The Influence of Japanese Woodcuts on French Prints" which was an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1974, recounts the phenomenal "cult of Japan" in late nineteenth-century France and reveals through direct comparisons its particular impact on the graphic work of Manet, Degas, Cassatt, Bonnard, Vuillard, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Gauguin. This print directly relates to the discovery of Japanese art most notably through the woodblock prints which found their way to the West oftentimes as stuffing or packing materials from consumer goods that were being imported to the West at the end of the 19th century. Prosper-Alphonse Isaac was born in a well-to-do family. This gave him the means not only of leaving his native Calais to pursue a career as an artist in Paris, but also the means to acquire art. Isaac was particularly drawn to Japanese arts, which he collected avidly. Many of the objects he bought were eventually given to museums. As a printmaker Isaac started drawing seascapes in dry point, but eventually moved on to become one of only a handful of artists versed in color woodcut techniques in France. His compositions, generally small in scale, are heavily influenced by the arts of Japan. He printed small editions of these works. Aside from this artistic activity, Isaac was also an active textile decorator. "This mark, which he borrows from Hokusaï and Totoya Hokkeï...

Medium: original lithograph. Printed on laid paper in 1919 and published in Berlin by Paul Cassirer. Sheet size: 6 3/4 x 9 inches (175 x 229 mm). Not signed.

The Wengernalp Bahn Jungfrau poster, created by A. Reckziegel around 1910, is a stunning and iconic piece of Swiss travel advertising that encapsulates...

Original poster: Red Cross Christmas Roll Call. “Where Columbia sets her name let every one of you follow her” Linen-backed in very good condition, ready to frame. Artist: Edwin Howland Blashfield. The Red Cross stands on the left helping hold the banner that reads Where Columbia sets her name let every one of you follow her. December 16th to 23d. World War 1...

Title page numbered: 263/450