| Creator | Johannes Handschin |
| Printing year | 1939 |
| Sheet size (cm) | 128×90 |
| Printing technique | Lithograph |
| Printer | A. Trüb & Cie., Aarau |
| Condition | A |
| Asking price | 4'700 CHF |
| Categories | Household & Department Stores |
A poster as powerful as it is magnificent – the huge light bulb (“the proven product of the oldest Swiss light bulb factory”), the strong contrasts, the composition… and so rare that it is hardly ever on the market (especially not in this excellent condition). It was designed in 1939 by Johannes Handschin (1899 – 1948) from Basel, so not one of the usual suspects when it comes to New Objectivity. Quite the opposite: Handschin was better known for his stylish Art Deco designs, and this is, at least as far as I know, his only hyper-realistic design.
Originally trained as an architect, Handschin painted notices and announcements for shop windows after office work before starting work in an agency in the mid-1920s, where he was discovered by an advertising manager from the German company Henkel. This enabled Handschin to set up his own business as a commercial artist – and this is also the reason why so many of his posters advertised Henkel products such as Persil, Per, Henco etc.
also by Handschin and maybe of interest as well: