Le petit coquin, dessert exquis 1900

Leonetto Cappiello, an Italian poster artist working in Paris, made this advertisement for ‘Le petit coquin, dessert exquis,’ a high-end confectionary, likely in the early 20th century. Cappiello came to prominence as the advertising poster was coming into its own. He rejected the aesthetic conventions of the earlier Art Nouveau movement, known for its naturalistic and feminine designs. He favored a bold, simple style, using flat colors and striking imagery to capture the viewer's attention. Here, we see a cartoonish child in an orange dress, happily enjoying a treat while a parrot looms above. The exotic bird, along with the confectionary box, gives the design an upmarket feel. The child seems to be taken out of a middle-class genre painting, and thrust into the advertising world. Advertisements like these are a rich resource for social and cultural historians. By studying them, we can learn about consumer culture, marketing strategies, and the values and aspirations of a particular era. The poster tells a story of the Belle Époque in France and the burgeoning advertising industry.