Les Cafes Jules Ferry 1935 Marseille Cafe French Advertising Poster, Georges Nicolitch

This elegant 1935 Les Cafés Jules Ferry French advertising poster, created by celebrated illustrator Georges Nicolitch, is a superb example of Art Deco glamour in commercial design. Featuring a stylish, fair-haired woman leaning towards a steaming cup of coffee, the composition captures both sophistication and sensual warmth. The dramatic contrast of deep black, soft cream tones, and bold red accents exemplifies Nicolitch’s refined command of light and form, drawing the viewer directly into the indulgent pleasure of freshly roasted coffee.

Les Cafés Jules Ferry, based in Marseille, was known for its daily coffee roasting (“torréfaction quotidienne”) and maintained two retail shops on Rue d’Aubagne—one of the city’s historic shopping streets. The poster’s confident typography and upscale aesthetic reflect the café’s ambition to present its products as synonymous with quality, modernity, and urban refinement during a flourishing period for French advertising.

Georges Nicolitch, active in the early- to mid-20th century, produced striking posters characterised by elegant figures, sharp silhouettes, and a strong Art Deco sensibility. His designs often balanced glamour with commercial clarity, making his work especially prized among collectors of vintage French advertising.

This rare original lithograph is an exceptional acquisition for enthusiasts of Art Deco, French café culture, or distinguished European poster art. Stylish, atmospheric, and beautifully executed, it remains as captivating today as it was in 1935.

▼France has a long and rich history in poster design that dates back to the mid-19th century.... CLICK TO READ MORE

One of the most influential figures in the development of vintage posters was the French poster artist Jules Chéret. Around 1866, Chéret is credited with producing the first colour lithograph posters, using a technique he refined from the black and white process first invented by German actor and playwright Alois Senefelder in 1798. Cheret's three stone lithographic process allowed artists to achieve every colour in the rainbow using just three stones - usually red, yellow and blue - printed in careful registration.

The Parisian artists, headed by Cheret and including masters Steinlen, Willette, Grasset, Bonnard, Forain and, last but certainly not least, Toulouse-Lautrec's vibrant and eye-catching designs influenced, in part, by Japanese Woodcuts brought a new level of visual appeal to the streets of Paris and, in turn, established the poster as an art form.

The Belle Époque (Beautiful Era), a period of peace and frivolity in France from the late 19th to the early 20th century (1870-1914), played a significant role in the continued advancement of poster design. This era coincided with economic growth and the rise of a new middle class with disposable income and leisure time. It was during this time that the poster craze took hold in France, with posters being used for advertising various products, events, and entertainment.

Over the decades that followed from these auspicious beginnings French poster design continued to flourish and designers from around the world followed suit in experimenting with poster design for advertisements for cultural events, travel, film, food and drink and more.

This original vintage advertising poster has been professionally linen-backed and is sized 45 x 62 inches (plus a little more including the linen-backing). It will be sent rolled (unframed).

• Year: 1935
  
• Poster Type: French Advertising Poster
  
• Style: -
• Art By: Georges Nicolitch
  
• Rolled/Folded/Other: Rolled Linen-backed
  
• Condition: Near Mint/Mint
  
• Condition Details: Originally rolled, now professionally linen-backed. Looks superb.