The other really nice item we acquired at auction in June was a bound collection of 30 lithographed, hand-colored prints typical of the product of the town of Epinal, which produced stylized, fanciful, and humorous depictions of various subjects.  Most of these (with one exception) were printed in the town of Epinal  by Pinot, Pinot & Sagaire, and Pellerin.  Pellerin was a printing firm in Epinal, which is east of Paris, that produced distinct images in a simple, fresh, and spontaneous style.  Founded by Jean-Claude Pellerin, in the late 18th century, the firm flourished in the 19th century.  Other Epinal firms like Pinot imitated the style, thus linking the images with the name of the town.  About half of the posters relate to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.

Tags: New Acquisition