Auction Highlights: Vintage Posters — August 7, 2025
At Auction Thursday, August 7 at 12 PM ET
Swann’s yearly August poster auction is a strong and curated collection, with a particularly sharp focus on propaganda, travel and Art Nouveau posters offering images that are as rare and exquisite as we have ever offered. Collectors, enthusiasts and connoisseurs will be impressed not only by the historical scope and messaging but also by the quality and condition of the posters presented.
World War I & World War II Propaganda Posters
Highlights from the auction include some of the most powerful and moving American and international propaganda from World War I and World War II.
The selection of World War I posters includes the impactful and scarce Destroy This Mad Brute, both editions of Fred Spear’s chilling Enlist, and both the English and the Yiddish version of the famous Canadian poster The Jews the World Over Love Liberty, Have Fought For It & Will Fight For It. The section is also supported by iconic American posters such as James Montgomery Flagg’s two classics, I Want You and Wake Up America.
The World War II posters are anchored by stirring images as well, such as Dear God Keep them Safe and This Is The Enemy.
British Wartime Posters
The classic Keep Calm and Carry On, 1939, is being offered along with another, lesser known (but no less fabulous) poster from the same series and year, Your Courage / Will Bring Us Victory.
Art Nouveau Masters
A stunning Art Nouveau section features some of the finest works to be offered in this category in years, including over a dozen beloved and famous images by Alphonse Mucha, such as Monaco Monte Carlo, 1897, Salon des Cents, 1896, Krajinská Vystava v Ivancicích, 1896, and a gouache mural study.
Famous works by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, including his tender Compagnie Française Des Chocolats Et Des Thès, 1895, and Chat Noir, 1896.
Rare European Highlights
Two rare works of note are Ludwig Holhwein’s rare Salmenbrau, circa 1913, and Leonetto Cappiello’s scarcely seen Buvez L’Eau Vercingétorix, 1923.
Travel Posters
Beach and Summer Resort posters are a familiar and inviting theme in our annual August sales, touting travel destinations from the coast of France to The Berkshires, Mexico and Mozambique.
Just a few of the many themes represented in this sale include Mather Work Incentive, Lincoln Center posters, American literary covers, automobiles and bicycle images, food and drink, and Russian propaganda.