TWO EXTREMELY LARGE AND COLORFUL GILBERT AND SULLIVAN POSTERS, 1919, ONE MEASURING SEVEN BY TEN FEET

(GILBERT AND SULLIVAN) D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY. Poster ["Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Yeoman of the Guard" by Dudley Hardy"]. WITH: Billboard ["Opera Company's 1919/1920 Season by Dudley Hardy and John Hassall"]. London: David Allen & Sons, [1919]. Single sheet, measuring 20 by 30 inches; nine unassembled dovetailing sheets, measuring 7-1/2 by 10 feet assembled. $2500.

Original poster depicting the headsman with axe from Gilbert and Sullivan's “The Yeoman of the Guard,” accompanied by a large billboard announcing the season’s productions, with three poster designs: “The Yeoman,” “The Gondoliers,” and “The Mikado.”

The poster advertises Gilbert and Sullivan's "Yeoman of the Guard," widely recognized as Sullivan's most accomplished musical score. A classic Savoy Opera, the piece is—rather unusually—set during the 16th century at the Tower of London, bringing in quasi-Shakespearean dialogue and a darker atmosphere. The accompanying billboard—measuring over 70 square feet—promotes the 1919 season's productions, including "Yeoman," the musical theater favorite, "The Mikado," and Gilbert and Sullivan's last major success, "The Gondoliers." Hardy and Hassall were among the premier graphic artists of their time, having built reputations both as book illustrators and specialists in poster design. Hardy was influenced by French chalk drawings and poster art, while Hassall attributes his style to Japanese prints.

"Yeoman" poster fine. Some chipping and creasing to separate panels of original billboard, poster fine. A wonderful pair.