"La Fete du Savon": An Early History of Graphic Design

What happens when art historians open a boutique? Shoppers get an education while they browse. Inspired by owner Lisa Reisman Halterman's vintage poster collection, Lisa M. Reisman et Cie (1714 S Rittenhouse) features vases, perfumes, tote bags, baby gifts and interactive mystery games along with designer fabrics, jewelry, and other fine art. Now through July 31, the store also offers guests an exhibition on the lithograph, an advertising form that transformed product labels at the turn of the 20th century.

Exhibition curator Michael Hartman says the boutique conjures the atmosphere of the late-19th century French department store, where everything could be found under one roof. This spirit of the French La Belle Epoque ("Beautiful Era") period is evident in the gallery's collection of original lithographs on the second floor. To contextualize the display, entitled La Fete du Savon: An Exhibition of Period Graphics for Soap and Perfume, Hartman spent over a year studying the popularization of the lithograph between 1880 and 1940 before he designed the show.

Lithographs became the face of commerce in the 1890's, after industrialization usurped the jobs of many craftsmen. Companies used the emergence of the lithograph press to personalize and beautify the drab packaging created by mass production. "As a means of artistic expression, the lithograph was technologically and financially feasible," Hartman says. He is particularly drawn to the artists' abilities to craft intricate detail, including evidence of period politics, within the form. "The relationship between the artists' skill level and their primitive technology is really fascinating."

Lithographs began to disappear with the advent of photomechanical presses in the 1940's. In addition to telling the 50-year story of the lithograph's place in marketing history, Hartman's show also highlights the evolving artistic styles of the Progressive Era. The arrangement balances historical detail with visual artistry quite well, and because it doesn't take too long to walk through, complements a worthwhile shopping trip.

Lisa M. Reisman et Cie is open Tuesday- Saturday from 10-7 and on Sundays from 10-5.