Posters

Printed in stunning stone lithography, this extremely rare poster was designed by prolific poster artist Eric Rohman for the original Swedish release of the action-packed 1926 American silent comedy For Heaven's Sake, starring Harold Lloyd - one of the biggest stars of the silent era. After several years at Pathé, Lloyd made his debut at Paramount with this delightful slapstick classic, in which his trademark go-getting 'glasses' character appears as Uptown Boy J. Harold Manners, a millionaire playboy who falls for a Downtown Girl. With a dazzling finale featuring a double-decker bus careering through the city streets, the comedy of thrills was one of Lloyd's most successful films and the 12th highest grossing film of the silent era.

Rohman's whimsical lunar poster design was inspired by a charming scene in which Harold woos his Downtown Girl (Jobyna Ralston) by the romantic light of a crescent moon - which is then revealed to be part of a neon sign for Crescent Laundry! Lushly printed in lapis blue, black and a contrasting orange, the enchanting Art Deco style artwork pictures the loved up pair perched on the bespectacled crescent moon amidst a starry night sky. One of Sweden's leading poster artists, Rohman estimated that he painted more than 7,000 poster designs over his career, delivering four to five posters per week through to the late 1940s. His pioneering use of simple graphics in two or three bold colours was enormously influential in the development of the distinctive Art Deco style in Swedish poster design in the early twentieth century.

Condition

Very Good (B+)

Conservation backed on linen. Prior to backing this poster had one vertical and three horizontal folds, with two additional partial vertical folds. Backing and light colour touching have smoothed and diminished fold lines.  Slight toning to folds in white ground. Image and colours otherwise excellent.