Date: 1898
Size: 12.5 x 9.5 inches
Size: 12.5 x 9.5 inches
About The Poster: Lefèvre-Utile was founded in Nantes, France, in 1846 by Jean-Romain Lefèvre and his business partner and wife, Pauline-Isabelle Utile. Their initials (LU) were first used by Alfons Mucha for an 1897 calendar ad for the Lefèvre-Utile Biscuit Co. That same year the company hired Firmin Bouisset to create a poster for their rectangular-shaped crested biscuits. Bouisset created Petit Écolier ("the Little Schoolboy") which also incorporated the LU initials. Bouisset's poster was used extensively, and the image was embossed on the company's Petit Beurre line of biscuits.
Within a few years, the success of the logo resulted in the company becoming known as LU. (Notwithstanding the humble beginnings of LU, the company, now owned by a large multi-national, sells more than USD 2 billion every year - that's a whole lot of cookies!)
This sheet, outlining the various products available in 1898, was brought into the gallery by the great-great-grandson of the original Lefevre-Utile family, so the provenance of the piece could not be better.
Rare, mint and collectible.
We particularly like the silver and gold inks ... and the tramway-shaped box (available either with or without Champagne flavoured biscuits!)
