Exposition Internationale d’Electricite poster, Marseille 1908 – Dellepiane
This great vintage poster was created to promote the Exposition Internationale d’Electricite held at Marseille in 1908. It was illustrated by the renowned French artist David Dellepiane.
Dellepiane’s superb illustration of La Fée Électricité or the Electricity Fairy is depicted flying naked through the Marseille skies. Rays of power are shown radiating from her head and fingers as she sends power back down to earth. Her power is illuminating the entire exhibition site below. The flying goddess has been painted in shades of green to illuminate her against the dark blue and red nightime sky.
International Exposition of Electricity
The first International Exposition of Electricity had been held at the Palais de l’Industrie on the Champs-Élysées in 1881. It served to display the advances in electrical technology since the small electrical display at 1878. Even by the time this poster and the exposition event were held in 1908 electricity was still not commonplace. In the early 1900s, the only buildings to receive electricity belonged to Royalty and the extremely wealthy. For most people, the first view of the magical powers of electricity would be at the great World Fairs or in the major city’s entertainment buildings. These buildings were electric wonderlands that would create a sense of celebration and awe.
With electricity still relatively unknown to the general public, the suppliers of the invisible energy, had to win over the minds of the masses. In the 1900s, much like today, women were used to advertise and promote most products. Many beautiful women were depicted as Goddesses, Spirits or Fairies. A great example of this include Alfonse Mucha’s art nouveau depictions of the Seasons. Others include PAL’s 1898 Salon du Cycle et de l’Automobile poster, Livemont’s advert for Absinthe Robette, Lucien Baylac’s advertising poster for Acatene Cycles and the Gladiator Cycles poster by an unknown artist.
La Fée Électricité or The Goddess of Electricity
For the new electricity industry, it seems they would channel Elektra, a goddess from ancient Greek mythology. Elektra is the goddess of stormy clouds, which draw their moisture up from the sea. They are charged with lightning and form around islands near the summits of mountains. Elektra is a powerful bringer of life through water and electrical charge and is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.
In order to appeal to the imagination of the general public, an allegorical vision of Electra or La Fée Électricité was created. The Goddess of Electricity became synonymous with the newly harnessed power source. She represented the idea of power, progress and innovation. The famous poster combines the mythology of the Goddess of Electricity with the extravaganza of lights that could be seen at the 1908 Marseille exposition and other World Fairs featuring huge exhibition halls dedicated entirely to electricity. One can only imagine what an impact it would have had on the public over a century ago.
How much is an Exposition Internationale d’Electricité poster worth?
Original copies of this poster are extremely hard to find and they rarely come up for sale at auctions. When they do come up for sale, they fetch significant sums of money. They also continue to rise considerably in value. One copy came up for sale in 2012 and realised a price of £5,000. Between then and now another copy came up for auction with a guide price of between £9,500 and £12,000. We have even seen reproduction copies of this poster on sale for £750 each.
There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. This Exposition Internationale d’Electricite poster certainly seems to be! Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for far more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment at this level isn’t possible. This is where our stunning, high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall.
David Dellepiane poster artist
David Dellepiane was a renowned French painter, lithographer and poster artist of Italian origin. The artist was one of the first major French poster designers at a time the poster art medium was in it’s infancy. Between 1880 and 1885, he was a student at the École des Beaux-Arts de Marseille. In 1890, he moved to Paris. While in Paris, he was influenced by the work of famous painter Alfons Mucha. Later, Dellepiane worked in the Parisian studio of Jules Cheret. Under the guidance and direction of the legendary poster artist Chéret, Dellepiane was taught the printing techniques involved with lithography. The techniques he learned helped develop his own style. His work is known for its clever use of composition and framing as well as the bold and bright colours that the relatively new printing process permitted.
The popular artist worked regularly for the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée. Among his most popular poster designs is his 1910 PLM railway poster promoting the seaside resort of Antibes on the Cote d’Azur. A personal favorite is his superb Electricity Fairy poster created to advertise the 1908 Exposition Coloniale de Marseille.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £15.
