Study for a Poster Advertising Caley's Chocolate

ca. 1896

Not on view

Best known today for his paintings of racehorses, Alfred Munnings apprenticed for a lithography firm in Norwich, England at the outset of his career in the 1890s. As an apprentice, he designed several posters advertising the chocolate manufacturer A. J. Caley & Son. This watercolor study for one such poster has many of the hallmarks of Art Nouveau, including a prominent floral motif and bold contours that outline the figures of the two girls – an element evocative of stained glass. The style and subject are also reminiscent of children’s book illustrations of the period.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Study for a Poster Advertising Caley's Chocolate
Artist: Alfred Munnings (British, Mendham 1878–1959 Dedham)
Date: ca. 1896
Medium: Watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 24 × 17 in. (61 × 43.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Roberta J.M. Olson and Alexander B.V. Johnson, in memory of Laurie Vance Johnson, 2019
Object Number: 2019.459
Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Alfred Munnings

In the same medium

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Two Race Horses Walking Down Past the Post, Alfred Munnings British, Oil on canvas — Two Race Horses Walking Down Past the Post
Alfred Munnings
1935

The Lake of Zug, Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) with reductive techniques over graphite — The Lake of Zug
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1843

Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland, Thomas Girtin British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) — Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland
Thomas Girtin
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Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching — Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

Angel of the Revelation (Book of Revelation, chapter 10), William Blake British, Watercolor, pen and black ink, brush and wash, over traces of graphite — Angel of the Revelation (Book of Revelation, chapter 10)
William Blake
ca. 1803–5

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