PKZ Posters

Swiss posters have a certain character to them that's hard to describe. I had a client who spoke fluent Swiss German and she would translate posters I found for sale on the internet. There was a poster for an insurance company of an umbrella leaning against a wall with the copy, " Ist das Ihr einziger Schutz?" She translated, "Is this the only protection you have?" and suggested I hang it over my bed.

PKZ, as I'm sure my client knows, is a clothing store with locations in Switzerland. I don't know beans about 'em but they started off in the late 19th Century and are still in business today. I've always had a thing for their posters but the early 20th Century stuff is north of $10,000 while the more approachable (see above) run between $1,000 to $2,000.

I snagged the middle poster. Not because I liked it but because the Golf Foxtrot did. The top poster was my first pick for the color alone. GF thought it too affected. I liked the bottom poster because there was movement in it. An old art professor told me to always look for movement. She thought it was too retail. And she was right. One like it is hanging in the Ralph Lauren department of Bloomingdales.

So the middle got the nod. Printed in 1956, the ticket pocket and bow tie give it an 'American in Europe' look I've always liked. Is that suit jacket even darted?