Le Riz Bleu 1913

There is a whole flirtation packed into this single sheet. In Le Riz Bleu, Leonetto Cappiello stages a moment of pure Belle Epoque romance: an outrageously flirtatious young woman gazing in open admiration at a dashing cadet who rolls his cigarettes with Le Riz Bleu rolling paper. It is cheeky, warm and utterly alive.

Dated 1913, the composition shows Cappiello at his most seductive. He works here in the masterful caricature style that shades toward full illustration, giving his figures just enough exaggeration to charm without tipping into cartoon. The young couple crackle with youthful allure, and the product becomes almost incidental to the story of attraction unfolding across the frame. The Le Riz Bleu brand itself, established in 1901 in Angouleme by Charles Lecroix, enjoyed only a brief commercial life, which makes this vivid survivor all the more appealing as a fragment of vanished everyday history.

Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942) is often called the father of modern advertising, and this poster shows exactly why. He rejected the idea that a poster should merely picture a product. Instead he gave each brand an unforgettable character, a witty figure that leaps off the page and lodges in the memory. That single insight reshaped commercial art for the whole of the twentieth century, and posters like this remain among the most sought-after works of the era.

The Belle Epoque, the beautiful era stretching from 1871 to 1914, was the golden age of the illustrated poster. Colour lithography let artists blanket Paris in imagery, and pioneers such as Cheret, Mucha and Cappiello lifted everyday advertising into genuine collectable art. This print carries that heady, optimistic energy.

On a wall it is impossible to ignore. Displayed at scale, a vintage lithographic poster becomes a real focal point, its lively figures and rich colour drawing the eye above a sofa, bar cart or console. It anchors a gallery wall, sparks conversation in an entryway, and brings warmth, humour and a sense of history to a living room, hallway, dining room, home bar, kitchen or studio.

Each print is produced to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks, for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail that lasts. Choose your size from the drop-down menu, in 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Every order is carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube, or flat for the smallest size, and arrives ready to frame. Frame not included.

This is a faithful fine-art reproduction of the original 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 clean and crisp, and any subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic appeal.

For devotees of vintage advertising art, Cappiello and Belle Epoque design, it makes a delightful gift and a lasting way to bring a piece of French poster history into a home, studio or workplace.