Cinzano Vino Vermouth poster – Adolfo Hohenstein – 1901
Cinzano were of the first drinks company’s to embrace the new stone lithographic process and the skills of the artists of the time to advertise and promote their alcoholic beverages. Adolfo Holstein had already created a poster for the Cinzano brothers in 1889 that featured Pan and his nymph. For this second poster, Hohenstein kept a similar colour palette and imagery. However, the addition of yellows and reds makes for a more colourful, autumnal approach. The main noticeable difference is the absence of the swirling curves of the original’s image border.
In this poster, Hohenstein has depicted Pan more fully, his goat-like legs are now visible as he raises a large chalice above his head. His companion nymph is portrayed sitting on a vine branch squeezing the juice out of a sprig of verde grapes.
Cinzano Vino Vermouth
Created by brothers Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano. the famous Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 when they created a new ‘vermouth rossi” or red vermouth. The brothers blended a mixture of 35 ingredients from aromatic plants from the Italian Alps. The recipe is still kept secret but the results proved extremely popular with Turin’s influential aristocracy.
By 1898, Cinzano developed its marketing strategy to include new mediums such as adverts, posters and postcards. The company have used the services of some of the most influential artists of their time.
This advertising poster was created in 1901 by the German artist Adolfo Hohenstein. He is considered the father of Italian poster art and together with Leonetto Cappiello, Giovanni Mataloni, Leopoldo Metlicovitch and Marcello Dudovich, Hohenstein is recognised as one of the most important Italian poster designers.
His career began in 1879 as a set and costume designer for La Scala and other theatres. There he meets the musical publisher Giulio Ricordi, and in 1889 begins to work for the Ricordi Graphical Workshops, as the artistic director in charge of the graphics department, going on to create the posters for famous operas such as La Bomème, Madame Butterfly and Tosca as well as publictiy for Buitoni and of course Cinzano.
Other Cinzano poster designs
The advances of the stone lithographic printing techniques in the mid to late 1800s, saw the beginning of a new, colourful advertising age. Cinzano were keen on using the new mediums and printing techniques the belle epoque era had to offer.
Developing its communications strategy in line with the Belle Époque’s aesthetic, Cinzano adopted new mediums and techniques the era had to offer. Posters, postcards and adverts in newspapers and magazines soon became a big part of the company’s marketing plans. such as Telegrafo magazine, a prominent Italian daily newspaper at the time. Artists and printing was expensive and only the largest Italian brands could afford to work with artists and illustrators. In 1898, Cinzano lead from the front and were bold in their style. Enrico and Emiliano Cinzano collaborated with some of the most progressive artists of the time.
Three others we also love are again painted by one artist. This time they were produced thirty years later than the Hohenstein posters and reject both the art nouveau and art deco periods for a far cleaner, more modern artistic approach. The posters were created by Leonetto Cappiello.
The first, advertises the Cinzano Vermouth features a half-naked, toga wearing man riding a red striped zebra. It is one of the most iconic of all the Cinzano posters. The second was produced to advertise the release of the company’s Florio Marsala beverage. It expands on the zebra theme by adding a blue and white striped zebra running alongside the original red one.
Another Cappiello poster produced for the Cinzano group was his 1910 poster advertising the new alcoholic drink Asti Cinzano. It features a young woman wielding a bottle of the liquor whilst sitting atop of a bunch af red and green grapes. All three are classic poster designs.
Vintage Beers, Wines & Spirits Alcohol Posters
Everyone loves a tipple… or so it seems. Actually reports suggest that just over 50% of adults drink at least once a week. That’s an estimated 29.2 million adults in Great Britain alone. The half of the population that does drink, consume wine, beer, cider, champagne, spirits… in fact, almost anything we can turn to alcohol.
Since colour stone lithogrpahic posters first began being used as advertisements in the 1880s, they have been used to advertise alcoholic products. From Champagne and Wine posters, Liquer and Spirits prints to Lager and Beer Ads, there’s no doubt about it vintage alcohol posters have probably been the most advertised product over the last 120 years. Drinks posters have also produced some of the brightest, boldest, and most eye-catching of all the poster genres. Like the beverages they are selling they are usually a crowd-pleaser.
Since the end of the nineteenth century, thousands of alcohol related posters have been published. We are constantly adding new ones to our website, but here we’ve selected ten of our personal favorites, from our Food & Drink poster collection, for you to look at. Despite the numbering, these appear in no particualar order. You know the old adage, you can’t choose between your babies, you love them all equally. Well, that’s how we feel about these vintage alcohol prints.
- Monastine Liqueur de l’Abbaye de St Gratien – Eugene Oge – 1892
- Vin Mariani poster – Jules Cheret – 1894
- Absinthe Robette – Privat-Livemont – 1896
- Maurin Quina – Leonetto Cappiello
- Anis Infernal – Leonetto Cappiello – 1905
- Porto Ramos-Pinto poster – Rene Vincent – 1920
- Martini Torino – Marcello Dudovich 1930
- Berger 45 Type Marseillais poster – Roland Ansieau – 1935
- My Goodness My Guinness Lion Poster – Gilroy – 1937
- Kinagin, le Vermouth au Quina et au Gin – EP – 1941
Posters perfect for your home bar, office, kitchen…
We offer a fascinating collection of reproduction beers, wines & spirits vintage posters all guaranteed to make you merry without you touching a drop.
If you’re looking for a poster to brighten up your drinks evenings then this poster will make your home bar complete. All our posters are available in shot glass (small A5) sizes to pitcher (large A1) sizes, which means there’s one available to fit your space. The colors are vibrant and really stand out and they’re printed on a 300gsm (pretty thick) high quality silk paper and they’re cheaper than a round of drinks at the bar! They make the perfect statement and will be sure to impress all your friends! Place your drinks poster order today. Cheers!
