{"product_id":"basel-zoological-garden-travel-poster-by-emil-beurmann-1900","title":"Basel Zoological Garden Travel Poster by Emil Beurmann, 1900","description":"\u003cp\u003eEmil Beurmann’s \u003cem\u003eZoologischer Garten in Basel\u003c\/em\u003e, from 1900, presents the city’s zoo as a place of spectacle, sociability and cheerful discovery. A large grey elephant commands the central foreground, its monumental bulk set against an ornate domed building and dense green foliage. Around it, elegantly dressed visitors introduce a more intimate scale: at the lower right, a woman in dark clothing gestures towards a young girl in white, while another bonneted child stands to the left. Warm beige and earthy brown are enlivened by vivid green, touches of red and a clear blue sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in Basel, Beurmann was a Swiss painter, writer and poet whose work drew upon local life as well as his travels. Here, his storyteller’s instinct is evident in the relationship between animal, architecture and audience. The poster belongs to a period when zoological gardens had become prominent urban attractions, combining public entertainment with education and civic display. Basel’s zoo, opened in the nineteenth century, offered Beurmann a distinctly local subject while allowing him to address residents, families and visitors through the increasingly persuasive language of illustrated advertising.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA closer look\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe elephant provides the poster’s immediate visual anchor. Its broad, rounded body is picked out by bright highlights and deeper grey-brown shadows, giving it a sense of volume despite the design’s crisp graphic contours and areas of flat colour. Its scale is heightened by the smaller human figures nearby. Rather than presenting the animal in isolation, Beurmann constructs a social scene around it: the women and children appear absorbed by the encounter, adding movement, curiosity and a lightly theatrical note.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBehind this foreground group, the zoo building rises as a richly patterned backdrop. Its dome and decorated façade suggest an attraction intended to be admired as architecture as well as visited for its animals. Trees flank the structure, their vibrant greens mediating between the elephant’s muted colouring and the blue sky above. Rounded foliage, the animal’s curving silhouette and the building’s dome create a rhythm of repeated forms across the otherwise upright composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTypography is integrated into the decorative scheme rather than treated as a separate caption. “Zoologischer Garten” occupies the upper portion, while “in BASEL” establishes the destination with emphatic clarity. At the lower left, the phrase “Reichhaltige Sammlung lebender Tiere” advertises a “rich collection of living animals”, stating the zoo’s appeal in direct promotional language. Geometric ornament around these text panels, together with the thin dark-red border, gives the design a disciplined framework while echoing the poster’s Art Nouveau character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eContext and significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the turn of the twentieth century, posters had become an especially effective means of presenting urban attractions to a broad public. Beurmann’s design balances information with imaginative appeal: the lettering names the destination, but the elephant supplies the memorable visual argument. The zoo is presented not as an abstract institution but as a lively encounter between the unfamiliar and the everyday, with fashionable visitors placed comfortably beside an imposing animal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is both an advertisement for Basel and a compact portrait of leisure in the early modern city. Its appeal lies in the tension between order and animation: decorative borders and formal architecture contain a scene made lively by gesture, colour and scale. Even before the wording is read, the elephant, dome and attentive children establish the promise of curiosity at the heart of Beurmann’s design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChoosing the right size and finish\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArtwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop for advice\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this art print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee examples of personalised artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChoose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/sepia-aged-maps\"\u003eSee examples of our Aged artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFramed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSelected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/custom-framing\"\u003especialist framing\u003c\/a\u003e are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact our workshop\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Art print","offer_id":68178534564231,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":68178534596999,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":68178534629767,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":68178534662535,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":68178534695303,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Framed 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