Fabrica de Lustres S. Ricart Barcelona 1898

A red-haired beauty in a flowing yellow gown bends forward and lets a cascade of round metal tins tumble from her gathered skirt, each one a pot of shoe cream stamped with the S. Ricart name, piling up in a glinting silver heap on the grass. Behind her runs a tapestry of stylised poppies in orange and grey, and a decorative border of daisies and vines frames the scene, while along the very bottom a parade of little boots and shoes marches across the base. Bold ornamental lettering announces FABRICA DE LUSTRES, CREMAS Y BETUNES de S. Ricart, BARCELONA, with a roundel promising a restorer for footwear. Every detail, from the interlaced foliage to the marching shoes below, sings of turn-of-the-century Catalan design.

Dating from 1898, this is a superb example of Catalan modernisme, Barcelona's own flowering of Art Nouveau, advertising not chandeliers or lighting but shoe polish, the creams and blacking boot-restorers made by the S. Ricart works. The sinuous outlines, flattened decorative space, patterned floral ground and richly worked borders show the same design language that shaped Barcelona's architecture and graphic arts in these years, when illustrators turned even a humble tin of shoe cream into an object of beauty. The gown's warm yellow against cool poppy greys makes an image as elegant as any fashion plate, and the whole composition reads like a stained-glass panel translated into print, a reminder of how ambitious commercial art had become in fin-de-siecle Spain.

Each print is a faithful fine-art reproduction of the original lithograph, produced on museum-grade 189gsm archival matte paper with pigment inks so the ochres, oranges and soft greens hold their subtlety and the fine linework stays crisp. The matte finish is glare-free and gives the sheet the character of an artwork rather than a photograph, doing full justice to the delicate modernisme detailing. Choose from five sizes, 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 and 24x36 inches, and each poster ships rolled in a protective tube, ready to frame in whatever style suits your space. This is a new archival reproduction, not an original antique.

With its tall vertical format and decorative richness, this poster brings instant Belle Epoque charm to an entryway, hallway, dressing room or walk-in closet, and it is a witty, characterful choice near a shoe rack or in a cobbler's, boutique or shop. It pairs beautifully with other Art Nouveau and modernisme prints and makes a thoughtful gift for lovers of Barcelona and Catalan art, for design and fashion enthusiasts, and for anyone charmed by antique advertising with a story to tell. Its tall proportions also make it an easy fit for the narrow wall spaces where a statement print is hard to find.

Give your walls a piece of 1890s Barcelona and the quiet glamour of the modernisme era. Order yours today and let this graceful Catalan classic step into your home.