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Profile
by
Carlton
Hendricks
TONIK
POLO
Advertising
Poster
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to enlarge
VINTAGE
: Circa 1890
DIMENSIONS
:
46 3/8 inches wide X 30 3/8 inches tall, unframed * including
frame: 63 3/4 inches wide X 48 inches tall
ARTIST
: C. H.
Beauvais
PRINTING
FIRM :
Moullot Fils Ainé
COUNTRY
OF ORIGIN :
France
PRINTING
TYPE :
Chromolithograph
PRINTED
ON : Paper
MOUNTED
ON : Paper
COLORS
: Red,
Yellow, Blue, Green
CONDITION
: Very Good
RARITY
: Extremely
Rare
I
purchased this poster at the San Francisco International Poster
Fair in the early 1990's from a poster dealer named Eric
Leyton of Artafax. Eric told me he had purchased it eight days
earlier in Brussels, out of a collection there. After I got it,
the poster underwent conservation treatment for mounting and
repair of some parallel cuts at the top and some water stains.
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To
understand the Tonik Polo poster is to understand, essentially;
the the finest polo poster ever produced. The poster was
produced in France at the turn of the 19th century. It was
illustrated by C.H. Beauvais and was printed by the Moullot Fils
Ainé printing firm, which had locations in Paris and
Marseille.
Of
the thousands of color illustrated posters generated worldwide
between 1880 and 1930, less than about a dozen of any merit were
produced which depicted the sport of polo. Of these, none come
near Tonik Polo's sterling quality.
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Like
any graphic illustration, the whole of Tonik Polo is made up of
revarious design elements. The cornerstone of these elements is
the realistic art style it is rendered in; as opposed to a more
impressionistic style; more common of posters it's period.
This realistic style is the tie
that binds the other elements; color, subject, details, scale,
depth, and text. The poster's artist, C.H. Beauvais demonstrated
masterful ability in his order of these; deftly applying each
with intuitive precision to the other.
Beauvais
captured the pageantry and era of the game with such a fun,
close up, larger than life poignancy that no richer depiction of
polo for commercial use could likely exist.
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If
an outline were drawn around the four horses and riders, a
horizontal oval would be seen in the center of the poster. Such
structure implies principled training. Within this depiction,
curious details are seen. The handsome features of the polo
players suggest those of Mediterranean heritage. They're
identical handlebar mustaches identify them as a fashionable
preference of the era. The four horses, individually in brown,
dark brown, white and speckled gray, are portrayed in the midst
of competition from varied angles, while the green of the polo
field provides good visual contrast. Correct costuming,
including pill box caps with insignias on front, white jodhpur
riding breeches, and squared mallet heads; speak to the period.
Further details such as the
players jerseys in customary club colors, correct bridles,
stirrups, saddle straps and support straps around the players
boot leggings add further visual tangibility to the scene.
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In
the classic tradition of polo matches of the period, a large red
and white striped tent can be seen in the distance with a long
stream of spectators looking on. A forest of teal trees across
the center provides excellent balance to the picture. The finale
to the celebration is set above, in which Beauvais has captured
the brief interlude of a sunset; the teal shade of the trees
providing perfect contrast to a sky drenched in
sun-burst yellow, streaked with red.
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The
poster's text layout and design are consistent with the boldness
and realism of it's illustration; big, direct and eye-catching.
At top center, huge red letters announce the product....POLO.
Below the polo match scene, a blue band provides background for
the product's full title with ingredients below; a tonic of
quinine and cola nut. His job nearly complete, Beauvais
concludes with the unique finishing touch of white bands across
each corner with POLO in black text.
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The
circumstances and influences of how Tonik Polo came to be
produced remain a mystery, and are subject to interesting
speculation. The details of the players costuming, tack, competitive
action, and scenery make it appear Beauvais studied an actual
polo match and players. The height and amount of trees in the
background seem quite specific, as if based on an actual local
studied; presumably in France where the poster was produced. On
page 310 of the 1902 edition of his book “Modern Polo”, E.D.
Miller, Captain of England's 17th Lancers at the time, provided
the following account of the early days of polo in France:
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“Mr.
Rene Raoul Duval, who fell in love with the game
when he was staying with
the 7th Hussars in India, started polo in Paris in 1892
with a few other keen sportsmen, and an international
tournament took place the following year. The
early pioneers of polo
in France were the three brothers Raoul Duval, Prince de
Poix, Vicomte de la Rouchefoucauld, Duc de Luynes, M.
Boussod, Marquis de Villaviega and his two brothers
E.
and P. d'Escandon, Luis d'Errauz, Baron le Jeune, Baron
E.
de
Rothschild, and a few others, nearly all of whom are
still playing
vigorously. Polo is played five days a week during the
Paris season, and
there is no pleasanter place in or near the gay
city than the charming
little club-house and grounds at Bagatelle on the Slopes
of the Bois. Taking a polo team for the week between the
Grand Prix and the big steeplechase at Auteuil is a most
delightful experience. An international tournament then
takes place ; amusment succeeds amusment with startling
rapidity, and the hospitality accorded to the English
polo players is most cordial in every possible way. Many
of the French players are well known on English grounds,
our most frequent visitors being the Escandon's,
Duval's, Baron Rothschild and L. de Errazu. The Comte de
Madre cannot now be regarded as a visitor, for he has
taken up his residence in Rugby. There are also grounds
at Ferriéres, Baron Rothschild's home, which has a
perfect ground. An annual tournament is held at
Deauville in the Autumn. The French Cavalry officers
have lately started for themselves a club near Paris,
where they play together with great keenness.” |
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Captain
Miller's description of the “grounds at Bagatelle on the
slopes of the Bois” are most interesting since the boise de
Boulogne is a forested area, and Bagatelle was essentially the
center of French polo then, and therefore may well have been the
location Beauvais used as a model for Tonik Polo. Further,
Captain Miller describes it as “no pleasenter place in or near
the gay city” , a description consistent with what we see in
the background of Tonik Polo.
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The
facial features of the players on the white horse on the left,
and the dark brown horse at the front, seem similar enough to be
brothers. They're facial definition appears too unique to be
unintentional ; as if rendered after actual players Beauvais saw
or knew; perhaps purposefully placing notable individuals in his
illustration. Captain Miller indicates Mr. Rene Raoul Duval was
responsible for bringing polo to France; and points out that his
two brothers were pioneers of the game there as well. Captain
Miller also mentions three other brothers who were pioneers;
Marquis de Villaviega and his two brothers E. and P. d'Escandon.
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Who
owned the Tonic Polo Company, and how long it existed are
interesting questions. Producing Tonic water requires specific
technical skill, mechanical equipment and considerable financial
backing. According to Mr. Douglas Simmons in his book “Schweppes”
The First 200 years , tonic water was apparently popular in
France by at least 1878 and Schweppes tonic waters won the
highest
award at the International Exhibition in Paris that year.
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A
reasonable consideration as to how the name Tonik Polo was
chosen might be that someone who played the game; developed a
unique tonic for his personal consumption and decided to market
it, and named it after his pastime; capitalizing on it's glamor
and sophistication. We know from the text on the poster that the
ingredients of
Tonik Polo, quinine and cola nuts, were apparently unique
enough to utilize as advertising. It's reasonable to consider
one of the
noblemen mentioned by Captain Miller as the pioneers of polo in
France, could have been the proprietor of Tonik Polo.
The
poster appears to have been rendered toward the end of what has
been called the Golden Age of the Poster, 1890-1900.
Chromolithography and poster production had essentially been
perfected by then in France; the birthplace
of the color illustrated poster; and from which the poster
originates.
EPILOGUE
Over
one hundred years later, Tonik Polo is still a striking exhibit of
how a polo poster should look. We don't know the latitude and
discretion Beauvais was given by his employer, the Tonik Polo
proprietor, but we certainly know he executed the objective of
any advertising poster, he drew attention; and it was tasteful,
dignified and orderly, yet very exciting; but most of all it was
handsome; so much so that it is one of the worlds best
depictions of polo ever rendered and takes it's place at the
pinnacle of polo posters; and among the worlds finest polo art
and antiques.
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