Former lithographed advertising calendar from the Grands Magasins du Soldat Laboureur in Paris. This typical Belle Époque genre scene depicts several uniformed soldiers and an elegant Parisian woman in a tree-lined promenade setting. The support originally held a pad of detachable daily sheets, of which only the last sheet of "December 31st" remains, visible in the lower center. The address "52, 54, 56 & 58 Avenue d'Orléans, Paris" corresponds to the historic location of this important trading house founded in 1840. The graphic design, the uniforms depicted, and the polychrome lithographic technique place this production at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
✦ Provenance: Paris, France - Grands Magasins du Soldat Laboureur ✦ Estimated period: Late 19th century ✦ Dimensions: approx. 37 x 28 cm ✦ Material: Lithographed cardboard with remains of a detachable sheet calendar ✦ Condition: wear consistent with use, dirt, foxing, partial discoloration, missing parts in the calendar area, small old mounting holes, but the main illustration is still legible and decorative
An evocative testament to Belle Époque Parisian advertising, this wall calendar is an interesting document on the department stores of the late 19th century and the military world, which was very present in popular imagery at the time.
