#1 FRENCH MOVIE & CIRCUS POSTER OF ALL TIME! 1904 BARNUM ☆ TOM THUMB ☆ UNCLE SAM

Description

* * * *
1904 BARNUM CIRCUS!!!
Offered here for sale is the
#1 RAREST
AND
MOST IMPORTANT FRENCH MOVIE POSTER OF
ALL
TIME!
That's quite a claim, but this extraordinarily rare French poster is quite a poster. Yes, it's that remarkable, and, for the following reasons this poster is the BEST of all the surviving French movie OR circus posters in the history of lithography:
#1 -
This poster was made back in the earliest days in the beginnings of the motion picture industry. Issued just a few years after Thomas Edison invented the motion picture camera, this poster advertises an early film made by the French Pathe on the Barnum Circus - 1904 “Out of the Valise of Barnum." The poster shows the circus acts coming out of the case including a Tom Thumb act and an amazing Uncle Sam. In the early 20th Century it was very popular for circus acts to include an Uncle Sam. The Barnum Circus was no exception. This poster represents the Barnum Circus before it's now famous pairings with the Ringling Brothers and Baily. This is also one of the very first film posters to depict imagery from the film it advertises. Most posters from this earliest period in film history only depict a projector and/or the audience. This poster has a full artist's rendering with imagery from the film.
#2 -
There are very few French posters that are actually
RARE
. That's a fact! One of the great
US
poster collectors coined a phrase back in the 1990's that still rings true today,
"There's no such thing as a rare French poster."
That's not a slight on French posters, just a well know fact. The reason French posters are not typically all that rare (as compared to
US
originals) is that the French people have always been champions of poster art - from the beginning of lithography until now. Subsequently the French people's appreciation for the medium translated into collectors and museums coveting the originals from their very inception. Beginning with the late 1800's Toulouse-Lautrec lithographs to the modern cinema posters, the French collectors have hoarded posters like no others, thus VERY few of their posters are truly rare. The rarest of all the Toulouse-Lautrec posters still has at least 8 originals documented to still exist today. By US standards that's not very rare at all. Movie poster collecting was taken seriously by the French some 40 years before the US collecting market even started. The French people held movie posters shows and exhibitions dating back the 1930's, so the French movie poster in general is not especially rare. Happily, there are exceptions to every rule -
THIS BARNUM POSTER IS THE SINGLE ONE AND
ONLY
SURVIVING EXAMPLE KNOWN TO EXIST!
It doesn't get any rarer than this! The poster is even rarer than the original Frankenstein one-sheet and the 1920's German Metropolis posters. THIS IS THE WHITE ELEPHANT - A TRULY
RARE
FRENCH POSTER!
#3 -
There are almost no original movie posters pre-1915 that exist anywhere in the world that depict relevant iconic imagery. There is The Birth Of A Nation, A Trip To The Moon, one or two Charlie Chaplin posters, and Gertie the Dinosaur. That's about it! This Uncle Sam/Barnum Circus poster certainly depicts one of the most iconic images of all time - Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam is one of the longest-standing iconic representations of The United States Of America - Instantly recognizable to everyone on the planet as the embodiment of the
USA
.
What’s most amazing about this early French stone litho poster is its depiction of Uncle Sam.
It reflects and documents
France
's long standing
anti-America
attitudes. Notice the demonic facial expression with the missing tooth, as well the missing button - Extraordinary! This image is an undeniable historic document and cultural artifact that simply cannot be ignored or denied when presented.
#4 -
This poster crosses into several fields of collecting. First and foremost this poster represents early cinema. However, it's also an amazingly rare and important Circus poster - a field that has been going strong for more than 100 years now. It's also one of the finest early stone lithographs and political pieces existant on the planet today. This is a truly rare and 1-of-a-kind item representing early cinema, early Barnum Circus, early lithography, and global attitudes.
If you're into collecting French posters, American posters, Political posters, Movie posters, or Circus posters you won't find a better item than this one!
The poster measures
45 and 1/4 inches by 61 and 1/2 inches
and pre-dates the standard French poster size - 47x63 inches. The poster has been linen-mounted but was not fragmented at all. It is in remarkable condition and still has original French government censor stamp (see photo #6).
I understand this poster has a strong effect over people and comments are always spawned from its presentation, that's one of the reasons why it's so valuable! However, there are limited hours in the day - so please don't write unless you have a serious question about acquisition.
Buying this poster is ECONOMY PROOF!
Why waste your money in the stock market? It can crash regardless of any decision you make and can even crash regardless of any decision made by the company related to the stock - Leaving you with a near worthless piece of paper that won't inspire anyone! With the purchase of a historic document such as this Barnum/Pathe poster, it doesn't matter what happens to the economy, you'll still have the inspirational document, which can be displayed and enjoyed. The magnificence of art and historic documents have an inherent value that relates to civilization and society. Unless civilization itself crashes then this piece will hold its value, and, if civilization itself crashes - Who'll care about money? This poster is definitely
ECONOMY PROOF!
MRS.MINIVER WILL ACCEPT
TIME PAYMENTS
FOR MOST ITEMS LISTED
☆
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