Poster: Bitter Campari poster – Leonetto Cappiello – 1921 clean. This reproduction of a rare Leonetto Cappiello poster features one of the artist’s most famous characters. Lo Spiriritello or The Sprite was created to advertise the French liquor Bitter Campari in 1921. The poster features a clown/pierrot-style sprite emerging from an unpeeling orange, revealing a bottle of Campari in the cheerful man’s hand. The brightly coloured character is wearing a red and white polka dot onesie. The character stands out prominently from Cappiello’s trademark black background that helps lift the image off the paper. Original copies were printed by Devambez printing house in Paris and currently, 2021 sell for in excess of £4000. Other Leonetto Cappiello posters Cappiello created his first poster in 1901. It was for the French magazine Le Frou Frou. It was the start of a 40-year career during which he is estimated to have created over 3,000 posters. Today many of his original lithographic prints fetch some incredible prices. Cappiello’s fabulous 1920 Mistinguett poster by Leonetto Cappiellois a personal favourite. It features the French chanteuse from the vantage point from an opera box with the star looking up towards us. She is dressed in a typically flamboyant white feather dress with long white ribbons billowing around her. She is also wearing a more modest than usual headdress that resembles horns or long ears. A copy of this highly sought-after lithographic print was listed in an online vintage poster auction in 2018. It had a guide price of between $8,000-$10,000. It sold for $15,600. The impressive Automobiles Charron poster featuring a woman climbing into her chauffeur-driven car on her way to Christmas shopping can command prices in excess of £8,000. At the time of listing (2019) a poster created for Bitter Campari, in 1921, depicting one of Cappiello’s characters appearing from a peeling orange skin was listed for just over £15,000. The 1900 poster advertising Cachou Lajaunie breath mints were also available, with a $4,000 price tag. One of his rare travel posters promoting golf in Font-Romeo in its original form fetches over £13,000 on the rare occasions they come to auction. The famous 1929 stone lithographic print for Parapluie Revel featuring three gentlemen battling the weather with their umbrellas is another that can command a hefty price of over £13,000. Other Leonetto Cappiello posters such as the 1927 Cognac Monnet poster with a young woman in a red dress drinking from a cup of sunshine is worth around $7,500, whilst a 1921 print for Cordial Campari Milano depicting a Pierrot-type clown drinking from a bottle of the golden beverage commands a price of $15,000. His poster for another alcoholic drink Contratto depicting a woman holding a huge champagne glass overflowing with drink regularly sells for £4,000. Cappiello’s Cognac Albert Robin poster reaches prices of £6,500 whilst the 1903 poster for Mele titled Novita per Signora sells for more than £32,000. Another popular poster is the 1921 Cafe Martin poster featuring the Turkish man leaping from a cup of coffee that could currently be purchased for a little over £31,000. Even many Leonetto Cappiello reproduction prints sell for between £250-£600. Of course, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectible poster isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall. Our superb reproduction print means you have a copy of this poster hanging on your wall in just a few days. Add a touch of French fashion and flair to your home decor. Order your copy today!
