Lot 265: PROPAGANDA POSTER WWI LA GRANDE GUERRE RUSSIAN ARMY PRZEMYSL BENITO

Original vintage WWI propaganda poster: La Grande Guerre - La prise de Przemysl (Text translates as: The Great War - The capture of Przemysl). Woodcut print with hand colouring through stencils by Eduardo Garcia Benito (1891-1981) featuring Russian soldiers walking in the snow. Przemysl was a fortified town on the Austro-Hungarian border with Russia (in present day Poland, 125 miles east of Kraków). The siege was the longest of the war, beginning on 24 September and ending on 22 March 1915 (with a brief cessation in October). It was a major defeat for Austria-Hungary. The text on the print expressed the view of many, that the fall of the garrison would give Russia access into Hungary. Print no. 53bis from the 2nd series La Grande Guerre. Published by Tolmer & Co. Eduardo Benito was a Spanish fashion illustrator and painter, noted for his Vogue covers of the 1920s and 1930s. He studied at the Mignon studio, and later trained under Daniel Vierge. In 1912 he moved to Paris, he later spent 15 years painting Vogue covers. Among Benito's subjects as a portrait painter were Alfonso XIII of Spain, Paul Poiret, and the Chinese Royal family. Also in 1912, he won a scholarship to study at L’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Very good condition, fold in top left corner, small tears, foxing and staining in margins. Country: France, year of printing: 1915, designer: Eduardo Garcia Benito, size (cm): 32x40.5 (Horizontal)