French patriotic lithograph – World War I.
This original World War I poster, titled "L'Aurore – Marne, Yser, Somme, Verdun", is an iconic work by the French painter and illustrator Henri Paul Royer (1869–1938).
Created around 1918 and printed in Paris by Imprimerie Lapina, it embodies all the symbolic and patriotic power of a victorious France at the end of the conflict.
The composition features a French soldier brandishing the tricolour flag, a central figure of the sacrifice and courage of the poilus, surrounded by female allegories representing in particular Alsace and Lorraine, provinces then liberated.
In the upper part, the inscription Marne – Yser – Somme – Verdun recalls the great battles that founded the national memory.
This is neither a modern reproduction nor a reissue, but rather a period poster, originally intended for public display and patriotic propaganda at the end of the war.
Artist: Henri Paul Royer (1869–1938).
Title: The Dawn – Marne, Yser, Somme, Verdun.
Period: around 1918.
Technique: original color lithograph.
Printer: Imprimerie Lapina, Paris.
Origin: France.
Dimensions: approx. 80 × 60 cm.
Support: period paper.
Condition: consistent with a century-old document, minor tears and creases. (see detailed photos).
Produced at the very end of the Great War (1914–1918), this poster is part of the vast patriotic communication movement intended to maintain national unity, honor the combatants and celebrate the sacrifices made on the great battlefields of the Western Front.
Henri Royer, known for his attention to detail and realism, delivers here a work that is both artistic and memorial, which has now become a major visual testimony of French military history.
Highly sought after by collectors, history buffs and decorators.
The photographs are an integral part of the description and are binding on the buyer.
The purchase constitutes acceptance of the condition of the item as presented.
