Winter in Switzerland

A wonderful original poster by the German-born Eric Hermès (1881–1971), whose parents emigrated to French-speaking Switzerland at the end of the 19th century. Hermès studied sculpture and painting, first in Lausanne and then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, before becoming a naturalized citizen in 1902 and continuing his education in Paris and Munich thanks to a scholarship from the Swiss Confederation. In the first half of the 20th century, he was one of Geneva’s most prominent painters, naturally—especially early in his career—heavily influenced by Ferdinand Hodler.

Meanwhile, Eric Hermès is best known as the creator of iconic posters, having also worked as a commercial artist beginning in the late 1920s—in particular for the Union Valaisanne du Tourisme, the Swiss Tourist Office, and—as seen here—the Swiss Federal Railways, which used this poster to attract foreign visitors to Switzerland; it was also printed in Italian and English, among other languages. Rare.

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