Phébus Paris poster – Vintage Advertising Poster – Henri Gray 1895 – Bk

Phébus Paris poster – Vintage Advertising Poster – Henri Gray 1895 – Bk This wonderful vintage Phébus Paris poster was illustrated by the artist Henri Gray, also known as Henri Boulanger. Gray was a prolific poster designer working regularly in many artistic fields. Starting out as an illustrator and caricaturist; his works for magazines such as Le Boulevardier, Le Boudoir, Chronique Parisienne, Paris amuses and Paris Illustré were signed with the nom-de-plume “Grivois.” In addition, his incredible output included menus, catalogues and costumes for the famous music halls, most notably those of the Folies Bergere. He naturally progressed to poster design in the 1890s under a new name, Gray. The beautiful reproduction poster you can buy on this listing is one of his best and most famous works. Itwas published by Noé Boyer & Cie who were part of the Société Gladiator company. It was initially set up as a bicycle manufacturing business. However, the company kept pace with the fast changing times adapting its business to include tricycles, motorcycles and then automobiles. In 1899, in addition to its own automobile production, it set up a factory in Paris to produce a new range of automobiles under the brand name Phébus. This vintage Phébus Paris poster was created to promote the new brand. In Greek mythology, the name Phebus translates to “the shining” which is considered to be the Sun. Gray has cleverly superimposed the brand name over a symbol of the sun’s rays.  The poster features a semi-clad red-headed angel or protector reaching out towards a wheel. In the late 1800s, bare-breasted women were commonly used to suggest freedom and liberty, the same values the motor car would be able to offer. This is one of our favourite posters by one of our favourite poster artists. We’re not on our own! Original copies of this poster sell for more than £4000. There’s no argument from us, 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 collectable poster isn’t really 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.