Jos. Wery & Cie, Distillateurs Hasselt, dated 1901, assembles the distiller’s wares around a smiling female figure in crisp white blouse and apron. She holds up a bottle while resting her other hand beside a bowl, her hospitable pose forming the centre of a carefully staged display of barrels, baskets and labelled glassware. Above her, the company name expands across the composition in emphatic decorative lettering; below, three bottles stand in orderly prominence. Warm browns, amber-orange and muted gold are set against a soft beige ground, giving the busy commercial scene an unusual visual coherence.

Created by an anonymous designer, the poster belongs to a period in which advertising was becoming an increasingly sophisticated branch of graphic art. Manufacturers did more than name their products: they used distinctive lettering, ornament and memorable characters to establish an identity in the public imagination. Here, the location is integral to that identity. “Distillateurs Hasselt” is prominently stated, while barrels marked “Elixir La Limbourgeoise” connect the business with Limburg, the Belgian province of which Hasselt is the capital. The result is both product promotion and an assertion of regional presence.

A closer look

The composition is organised around a strong vertical sequence. The eye first meets “Jos. Wery & Cie” at the upper centre, then descends through the figure and the bottle in her hand to the row of vessels below. This hierarchy allows the company name, its human representative and its goods to register almost at once. Yet the arrangement avoids the rigidity of a simple catalogue display: the woman’s bent arm, gently turned body and softly folded apron introduce movement among the more solid cylindrical forms.

Material contrasts carry much of the design’s interest. The blouse and apron are picked out in pale tones, with carefully observed folds giving the fabric a lightness that distinguishes it from the heavy barrels behind. Glass bottles catch small highlights at their shoulders and caps, while the amber liquid within adds concentrated notes of colour. At the lower left, a woven basket filled with smaller bottles broadens the range of textures and suggests abundance without displacing the principal group.

The barrels at the upper right serve several purposes simultaneously. Their rounded forms build depth behind the figure, their shadowing lends them visual weight, and their lettering becomes part of the poster’s typography. Product labels supply further pockets of intricate design, rewarding closer inspection after the large company name has delivered its immediate message. A restrained ornamental border contains the scene, turning its varied elements into a single decorative field.

Context and significance

At the turn of the twentieth century, commercial posters had to communicate quickly in streets, shops and public spaces. This design answers that demand through scale and repetition: large lettering identifies the firm, the central figure gives the brand an approachable face, and bottles and barrels make the nature of the business unmistakable. Flat passages of colour provide clarity, while modest modelling and cast shadows preserve a sense of substance and value.

What makes the poster particularly engaging is the ease with which text and illustration support one another. The lettering is not merely placed around the scene; it is embedded in barrels, labels and the architecture of the composition itself. Nearly every element contributes to recognition, yet the whole retains the warmth and ornamental detail associated with turn-of-the-century advertising—a persuasive image in which commerce, regional identity and graphic invention are closely entwined.

Choosing the right size and finish

Artwork 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.

If you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, ask our workshop for advice.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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Selected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and specialist framing are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, contact our workshop.

This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.