Vintage poster for the E&A Mele department store in Naples, Italy. Emiddio and Alfonso Mele were two brothers who opened one of the first department stores in Italy in 1889. The brothers took inspiration from other famous European shopping establishments, like Paris' Galeries Lafayette, and hoped to bring that same Belle Epoque glamour to Italy. The subsequent advertising campaigns released for the store are some of the most iconic posters of the era, each perfect embodiments of the Art Noveau style.  This poster here features two fashionable ladies strolling in a park, while an equally elegantly-dressed man watches the two admiringly. The lavish clothing and vivid colors serve as records for the tastes of the era, as well as examples of the painstaking artistry taken in producing these advertisements. Few original Mele posters are still in circulation, many now either held in private collections or in the Capodimonte Museum in Napoles. 

"Magazzini Italiani. Mode e novita per signora." (Italian stores. Fashion and novelties for ladies.)

Artist: Gian Emilio Malerba

Year: c. 1900

Condition: Very good, please note fold lines

This poster is linen-backed on canvas

UPDATED 2022