Raphael Kirchner

Lovely art by Raphael Kirchner.

I just love this image with the doggie -- I have one who looks just like it!

I found the image digging around in the vintage newsgroups. There was no information, but with Kirchner's name on it, I am certain it was an old postcard.

I'm off to ebay to see if I can find the real postcard or print... But before I go, some info on Kirchner...

Raphael Kirchner was born in Vienna in 1876 and attended the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in the city. He went to Paris at the turn of the century, where he remained until the outbreak of war in August 1914. Then he moved to the United States.

Kirchner produced a wide variety of postcards in Europe, but is chiefly renowned for his erotic illustrations which are very much like more modern pin up girls. Kirchner's "Geisha" series was the most successful. It was reprinted four times, for a total of 40,000 copies.

While he produced in excess of 1,000 postcards during his short lifetime, his postcards cards are not commonly found in America because Kirchner died on August 2, 1917, (in New York) when was just 41 years old.

Collectors may still find Kirchner postcards. To help date them, use these tips:

* The earliest cards have undivided backs. They are also recognized by a strong art nouveau style and chromolithograph printing.

* The middle period always has the title of the individual postcard printed on the back, in French.

* The late period cards have the publisher's name on the front of the card. (Usually Burton or Alpha.)

Get Raphael Kirchner posters.

**Addition/Update**

I found it! But it's not cheap... poo