Cassandre: an archive documenting the publishing efforts of an Art Deco master designer and artist.

FULL DESCRIPTION: cassandre maquettes

A revelatory archive documenting the publishing efforts of an Art Deco master designer and artist.

A. M. CASSANDRE. An archive of correspondence, production documents, and two original maquettes for a catalog of the posters of Cassandre. The materials document Cassandre’s efforts to publish a catalog of his poster production, 1925-37. The maquettes were used by Cassandre and his colleagues to gauge potential interest from booksellers in several European countries.

1) - The first draft maquette for a catalog. (32 x 24.5 cm): 63 pages. 75 black & white photographs;
2) - “A.M. Cassandre. Maquette Definitive”. (31 x 24 cm): 64 pages. 71 black & white photographs of posters and a photograph of Cassandre;
3) - A group of 33 black & white photographs, including 4 pasted on brown card stock that match those used in the Maquette Definitive; 
4)  - Correspondence and documentation: mostly related to the book project with: 7 leaves (n.d.) listing the negatives for Cassandre’s posters ; 3 color reproductions (1928-1937) ; 5 double-sided book production cost sheets (1933, 1937) ; 27 letters (1931-1968), including 2 (n.d.) handwritten by Cassandre. 

The two maquettes are similarly laid out and must have been produced around the same time. The popularity of Cassandre’s Dubonnet posters is evident, and both maquettes include numerous images from those campaigns.

The first draft maquette for a catalog. (32 x 24.5 cm): 63 pages. 75 black & white photographs, with six red and two blue sheets inserted as placeholders for the color reproductions. Hardcover portfolio with cloth ties. The photographs of the posters are dated on the back (1925 to 1937). Notably, some of the photographic reproductions are not referenced or included in later publications (e.g., “Tabac Baltimore” p. 53 in the “maquette definitive”). This preliminary version is carefully laid-out with pencil notes on each page indicating where each poster is to appear, with the photos glued in place (some of which have come loose).

Above: the earlier maquette ; below: the “Maquette definitive.”

- “A.M. Cassandre. Maquette Definitive”. (31 x 24 cm): 64 pages. 71 black & white photographs of posters and a photograph of Cassandre. 19 of them are pasted on brown stiff paper stock, intended to be full page reproductions. Softcover notebook. The carefully designed maquette was used to promote the proposed catalog (see the correspondence below). The location for each poster is indicated in pencil by a short title and year of creation, where they are to appear. Six of the images here do not feature in Cassandre’s 1948 catalog, nor the BnF’s 2005 exhibition. Studying the maquettes provides insight into how the artist conceived of recording and displaying his work.

Below: images of the six posters not included in Cassandre’s 1948 catalog, nor the BnF’s 2005 exhibition.