The Booddah Brand 1917

For his 1917 poster advertising The Booddah Brand of tea, Leonetto Cappiello set out to capture something more than a beverage; he wanted to bottle the sense of the exotic. In early twentieth-century France, tea from distant lands carried an aura of mystery and refinement, an imported luxury that spoke of far-off places and worldly taste. Cappiello meets that romance head on, applying his trademark dynamism and visual flair to transform a simple cup of tea into an object of genuine fascination and desire.

The poster works its magic through energy and allure. Rather than settling for a static product shot, Cappiello builds an image charged with movement and character, one that promises adventure and indulgence in every sip. It is the kind of design that lingers in the memory, exactly as its maker intended.

Cappiello (1875-1942), so often called the father of modern advertising, understood better than anyone that a poster had only a fleeting instant to make its case. His answer was a striking new visual language of bold figures springing from dark, luminous grounds. He did not merely depict goods; he gave each brand a personality the public could not forget, an approach that guided commercial art throughout the twentieth century.

The work is rooted in the spirit of the Belle Epoque, the 'beautiful era' between 1871 and 1914, when colour lithography let artists cover Paris in vivid imagery and lifted the humble advertisement into collectable art. Together with Cheret and Mucha, Cappiello turned the illustrated poster into one of the age's great popular art forms, admired on the street and treasured by collectors alike.

Displayed at scale, this evocative design becomes a real conversation piece. Its warm palette and confident composition make it a natural focal point above a dining table, sideboard or kitchen counter, a spirited anchor for a gallery wall of mixed prints, and a fragrant note of history in a kitchen, breakfast room, tea room, cafe, living room or hallway. It is ideal for tea lovers, collectors of culinary advertising and anyone charmed by the poetry of the exotic.

We print each poster to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks, delivering rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail that lasts. Select your size from the drop-down menu: 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Prints travel rolled inside a sturdy protective tube, with the smallest size sent flat, and no frame is included so you can pair it with a mount of your choosing.

This is a faithful fine-art reproduction of the original lithograph, colour-matched and produced to archival standards rather than a thin mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving crisp, clean and ready to frame. Warm, worldly and full of charm, it makes a delightful gift for lovers of Cappiello, vintage advertising and the ritual of tea, and a lasting way to bring a taste of poster history into a home, studio or workplace.