When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
VintageChina Hataman Cigarettes Poster Shanghai 1930s.Format is 29.5 x 19.7 in.Rolled up but hardly any creases. Offset Printing. Minor wear along edges, minor rubbings. With metal strips at the top and the bottom of the poster. Overall in VERY GOOD condition, please see photos for details.
This poster, an advertisement for Hataman Cigarettes from the 1930s, melds traditional Chinese painting with the craft of color lithography. It depicts a young woman playing a pipa. It shows the rise of Western type advertising during the economic boom in early 20th century Shanghai when the Art Deco movement brought from Europe greatly influenced local fashion, art and architecture.
The 1920s and 1930s were decades marked by persistent war and disorder in China, but this period in Chinese history was unique and dramatically different than the years that followed. Known as the Republican period, these decades involved an incredible boom that transformed both commerce and culture. Unlike the difficulties faced by most of the western world during the Great Depression, China enjoyed a boom in its consumer markets unlike anything that had been seen before. Activity was centered in Shanghai, but involved many other parts of the country as well.
The advertising posters that emerged during this period reflected this prosperity. The most notable posters advertised cigarettes and liquor, but there were ones promoting firms in other industries, including many western firms. Most included portraits of beautiful women along with the advertised products and luxury settings. Many of them are scarce as these posters were confiscated and destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
Combined shipment and international buyers welcome!
