$40.5
$76.14
Alcool de Menthe de Ricqles Poster – Ricqles Peppermint Alcohol Poster – Food & Drink Poster – Leonetto Cappiello This vintage Alcool de Menthe de Ricqles poster was originally published in 1924. It was created by the famous Italian-born, Parisian based artist Leonetto Cappiello for the Ricqles Mint Alcohol company. The strikingly, bold poster advertises the well-known peppermint cure-all. According to the poster the beverage offers Saveur fraiche – Parfum agréable – Hygiene parfaite or Fresh flavor – Pleasant fragrance – Perfect hygiene. This downplays many of the health benefits of both the early advertising and also today’s company messaging which suggests the minty medicinal can be used as an antiseptic and a breath freshener, as well as helping ease conditions such as indigestion, ibs, skin conditions, headaches and migraines, cold and flu symptoms and nausea. It is also believed to relieve stomach-pains, and combat fatigue. It’s a A real-life cure-all. A medicinal mint spirit. And it is spirit that the artist Cappiello has captured in his Ricqles girl. The young woman is running barefoot across a deep red background. She is full of energy, vigour and happiness. She certainly isn’t feeling under the weather. In fact she’s feeling so strong she can even carry a bottle of Alcool de Menthe de Ricqlès that is almost as tall as she is! Her red dress billows up around the tops of her legs. It looks like the petals on a flower. Her dress and her hair are adorned with sprigs of the peppermint ingredient. Cappiello’s Alcool de Menthe de Ricqlès poster was created exactly one hundred years after the arrival of a young Dutchman named Samuel Heyman de Ricqles, to the city of Lyon. Heyman traded in silk and soon founded a silkworm breeding company in the French city. Heyman’s work with silkworms and in particular the white mulberry tree, an essential food source for the breeding of the insects, gave Heyman de Ricqles with an infatuation with botany. He developed an infatuation with the peppermint that grew in Provence not far from his home. The health benefits of peppermint had been understood for several thousand years. Records from ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt survive that tell of the plants use for digestive disorders and other conditions. Heyman wanted to see if he could use the plant to create a beneficial medicinal beverage. After several years of experimentation, he finally managed to create his famous menthol alcohol in 1838. Heyman initially used the elixir for his own personal consumption. Trying it out then on close family and friends whonot only found its effects beneficial, also claimed to love the drinks fresh, strong and minty fragrance. Satisfied with the response, Heyman began to sell the menthol beverage in small sealed bottles . It was marketed as a fortifier to combat digestive disorders, bad breath, nausea, seasickness and migraines. The cure-all medicine was sold through pharmacies. Its success saw the silkworm enterprise swiftly abandoned in favor of this new creation. In 1840, the south of France was affected by terrible floods. Heyman de Ricqlès decided to help and generously distributed his peppermint extract to a great number of people. For his help, he was awarded a medal of honour by the King of France. The award and the reason it was given provided great publicity for the company and helped spread the name of Ricqles Peppermint Extract. In 1849, Heyman de Ricqlès registered the patent related to his invention. Ricqles Mint Alcohol is still produced today. Over its 180 years existence, the packaging may have gone through changes, but its secret formula has remained unchanged since its invention. It is now make by the Urgo group which brings together pharmaceutical companies present in around twenty countries. The reputation of Ricolès Peppermint Extract continues to spread in many countries to “Refresh the world” Who is Leonetto Cappiello? Leonetto Cappiello was an Italian graphic artist and pioneer of modern advertising. One of the truly great figures in the history of poster art, he is widely considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of commercial art. Cappiello’s unique style combines elements of satire, caricature, and art nouveau. His striking images were often controversial, but they always managed to capture the public’s attention. Cappiello’s work helped to popularise a number of products, including Perrier water, Campari liqueur, and Fiat automobiles. He also produced a number of iconic posters for the French railways. Today, Cappiello’s work is highly sought-after by collectors, and his posters are considered some of the most valuable in the world. During the course of his remarkable career as one of the most successful poster designers of the 20th century, Leonetto Cappiello created more than 530 poster lithographs. His work still has a marked influence on graphic designers and poster artists to this day. His original posters are highly sought after and command high prices when they appear at auctions around the world. We are ourselves huge fans of Leonetto Cappiello’s work and currently have almost 50 of Cappiello’s remarkable poster works available to buy on heritage-posters.co.uk and we add new ones regularly. 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 flair to your home decor.
Vintage Advertising
