Vintage Posters

Potter & Potter Auctions announces the Spring Vintage Poster Sale, a 608-lot sale to be held on May 16, 2024 at 10am CST. 

This event will be held live at Potter & Potter's gallery, located at 5001 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago and live streamed at www.potterauctions.com. Phone and absentee bids are welcome.

Previews: May 14-15, 10am–5pm

The catalog is available here

The top lot in this sale is #66, Harry R. Hopps' (1869 – 1937) Destroy this Mad Brute / Enlist, which is estimated at $10,000-15,000. This framed example from 1917 measures 41 x 27". It is illustrated with a bloodied German brute wearing a helmet reading “militarism”; he is stepping onto an American shore holding a half-naked Lady Liberty captive. This brutal and visceral call to action for American men predates the now legacy King Kong character by more than a decade. In 2018, Potter & Potter Auctions sold a similar example for $12,500.

Other highlights from this event include:

• Lot #24, Pierre Fix-Masseau's (1905 – 1994) Exactitude, is estimated at $8,000-12,000. It was published in Paris by Edita in 1932. This iconic Art Deco advertisement is illustrated with a state locomotive in an emphatic, streamlined perspective. It is framed, with a sight measurement of 39-¼ x 24”.
• Lot #23, A.M. Cassandre's (1901 – 1968) Normandie / Transatlantique / French Line, is estimated at $7,000-10,000. It was published in Paris by Alliance Graphique in 1935. This handsome poster features an upward view of the massive ocean liner with a flock of seagulls for perspective. It is framed, with a sight measurement of 38-½ x 24”.
• Lot #51, James Montgomery Flagg's (1877 – 1960) I Want You / For U.S. Army / Nearest Recruiting Station, is estimated at $5,000-7,000. This WWI recruitment poster was printed in 1917. It shows Uncle Sam pictured pointing his finger at the viewer, and has a blank space below this copy intended for the address of the "nearest recruiting station." It is framed with an actual measurement of 39-½ x 29-½”.
• Lot #148, Boris Artzybasheff's (1899 – 1965) Bermuda by Clipper / Pan American World Airways, is estimated at $4,000-6,000. It measures 41-¾ x 28 and comes to life with a shapely mermaid, lilies, a Pan Am jet, and an outline of the Bermuda territory. This linen backed, 1949 travel poster was designed by the Russian-born American artist who was known for his signature, surreal style. He also designed covers for Time, Fortune, and Life magazines and produced commercial illustrations for corporations including Shell and Xerox.

According to Joe Slabaugh, Director of Cataloging at Potter & Potter Auctions, "The number of graphic styles, designers, and periods represented should make for an exciting auction. We're pleased to bring the individual rarities and the abundance of quality to the market."

Potter & Potter, founded in 2007, is a Chicago area auction house specializing in paper Americana, vintage advertising, rare books, playing cards, gambling memorabilia, posters, fine prints, vintage toys, and magicana - antiques and collectibles related to magic and magicians. Follow us on Facebook (potterandpotterauctions) and Instagram (potterauctions). 

Image: FIX-MASSEAU, Pierre (1905 – 1994). Exactitude. 1932. Paris: Edita. Iconic Art Deco advertisement showing a locomotive in an emphatic, streamlined perspective. Framed. Sight 39 1⁄4 x 24”. Closed tear to center. Not examined outside frame. A.

Est. $8,000/12,000