Les Couronnes 1924
Buy this print on Etsy →A taste of the Caribbean, introduced to Paris by the master of the poster. Les Couronnes is Leonetto Cappiello's 1924 advertisement for Cola Couronne, and it dates from the very first year of a brand that still refreshes an island today.
Cola Couronne was founded in 1924 as a Haitian beverage enterprise based in Port-au-Prince, and this poster was created to introduce the new drink to French consumers. It captures a brand at the moment of its birth, brimming with the optimism of a fresh venture reaching across the Atlantic. Though Cola Couronne was once distributed in France, it is no longer readily found in its former European markets, which lends the image an added poignancy - a bright commercial dream preserved exactly as it first appeared. Cappiello brings his customary energy and colour to the task, turning a simple soft drink into a burst of celebration.
Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942), often called the father of modern advertising, revolutionised the poster with bold, witty figures that leap off vivid dark backgrounds. Rather than merely depicting a product, he gave each brand an unforgettable visual mascot - an approach that shaped commercial art for the entire twentieth century.
The work belongs to the Belle Epoque, the 'beautiful era' between 1871 and 1914 that was the golden age of the illustrated poster. Colour lithography allowed artists to cover Paris in vivid imagery, and pioneers such as Cheret, Mucha and Cappiello transformed everyday commercial advertising into sought-after collectable art whose appeal carried on well into the 1920s.
Displayed at scale, a Cappiello poster becomes a genuine focal point. Its confident composition and vivid palette hold their own above a sofa, bed or console, anchor a gallery wall of mixed prints, and bring warmth, colour and a sense of history to a living room, hallway, dining room, home bar, kitchen or studio. Its cheerful subject makes it a lively addition to a kitchen, cafe or entertaining space.
Printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail. Choose your size from the drop-down menu - 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube (or flat for the smallest size); frame not included.
This is a faithful reproduction of the original stone lithograph - colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving crisp, clean and ready to frame.
A memorable gift for anyone who loves vintage advertising art, Cappiello and Belle Epoque poster design - and a lasting way to bring a piece of poster history into a home, studio or workplace. Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of the original lithograph; subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic character.
