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

The 6th International Exhibition was held in Cinquantenaire, Brussels in 1924.  Beginning with the 1890s bicycle craze, and continuing with the wide adoption of the automobile, global demand for rubber accelerated relentlessly in the 1920s. While the most important source for rubber continued to be Brazil, rubber plantations were established in the Belgian Congo, run by a joint Anglo-Belgian enterprise, to supply European markets. That accounts for this British-printed, English-language poster for Europe's largest commercial fair for rubber goods, held in Brussels. The image is a triumph of corporate propaganda: servants appear to be presenting the African with the fruits of his labor. In reality, the Congolese suffered a colonial regime of breathtaking cruelty.

Poster size: 95cm x 65cm (with backing: 104cm x 69.5cm)

Artist: Paul Auguste Masui

Print type: offset litho

Condition: very good