6th International Exhibition, Rubber & Other Tropical Products by Masui, 1924

This original vintage poster was commissioned for the 6th International Exhibition held in Cinquantenaire, Brussels in 1924.  It relates to rubber from the ‘Belgian’ Congo which brought great wealth to Belgium due to the 1890s bicycle craze and thereafter the wide adoption of the automobile.  Global demand for rubber accelerated relentlessly in the 1920s and whilst the most important source for rubber was Brazil, rubber plantations were established in the Belgian Congo, run by a joint Anglo-Belgian enterprise for supply to European markets.  This context accounts for this British-printed, English-language poster for Europe's largest commercial fair for rubber goods held in Brussels. The image blatantly depicts corporate propaganda as servants appear to be presenting the African labourer with the literal fruits of his efforts in collecting rubber whereas, in reality, the Congolese suffered a butal colonial regime characterised by shocking cruelty.

Artist: Paul Auguste Masui (1888 to 1981)

Dimensions: 95cm x 65cm (with backing: 104cm x 69.5cm)

Year of Publication: 1924

Country of Origin: England.

Printer: J. Weiner Ltd. Acton, London 

Print type: Lithograph

Condition: Very good, some discolouration commensurate with age to the poster edges.  Linen backed.