Creme Activa

"To be young and pretty" is the theme of this charming poster by Rene Vincent for Creme Activa. Creme Activa was a lotion with radium in it - yes, this product was technically "radioactive"! It was developed at a time when the chemical was in vogue for its supposed regenerative, lightening, and smoothing qualities and not the dangerous connotation we know it for today. In reality, these creams were just a fad with only the slightest amount of radium present - which, it turns out, did nothing to slow the inevitable appearance of wrinkles.

René Vincent (1879-1936) was a French illustrator who was prevalent in the 1920s-1930s. He worked in an Art Deco style and became famous for his poster designs. Vincent had a design style of distorting perspective and dynamism. He was influential in the Art Deco movement in the period between the two world wars. Vincent studied at the Ècole des Beaux-Arts, at first he studied architecture, then changed to graphic arts and ceramics courses. He was also an illustrator for La Vie Parisienne, The Saturday Evening Post, L’Illustration and Fantiso, with most of his contributions to these magazines being fashion illustrations. He created many advertisements for Bugatti, Peugeot, Michelin, and Shell Oil Company. However, his most recognizable work is the circa 1920 Porto Ramos Pinto poster.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition.
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