The Unkown Designer

This post was going to be on some of the snazzy ski and snow posters coming up in a huge vintage poster auction at Swann Galleries in just a few days on Feb. 2nd….but then a whole group of different posters captivated my imagination.

There are a number of posters by unknown designers which I find fascinating and such a mystery as to why they are unknown. Some like the first one are by obviously talented graphic artists, some not so.

I guess the older the posters are, the less chance there is of them ever being identified. I’m sure I have seen the “Welcome to Britain” one in a Penrose Annual from the 1950′s - so I am madly searching through the annuals I have currently to see if I can find it somewhere.

The lack of a known designer doesn’t necessarily effect the price as you might expect – price has more to do with the quality of printing, condition, composition, size etc.

The first image is I think, one of the standouts of the whole auction.

Pearl Ing, born Yin Mingzhu, was China’s first major female movie star. Her movie career began in 1921 with an appearance in “The Sea Oath,” and through 1935, she appeared as leading lady in a total of sixteen different films. “Peach Blossom Dream” was her last film. During the prosperous years and the economic boom of the 1930s, Shanghai, which was already the most Western of all Chinese cities, became enamored with Art Deco design. Impeccable Art Deco architecture, interior design, fashion and graphics from that era reflect the city’s yearning to be as “new,” “modern,” and “Western” as possible. This poster, with its image bearing an unmistakable similarity to Josephine Baker, is an exceptional and rare example of the Art Deco design aesthetic which was flourishing there