Léo Marfurt - Miss Belga - Antwerpen - 1920s

Original advertisement - flyer / handbill (offset lithography) from the 1920s of the last century with the logo 'Miss Belga / Cigarettes Belga'. It was distributed as an advertising carrier for 'talking-film screenings' offered by the Antwerp tobacco manufacturer Vander Elst. The iconic design by Leo Marfurt featuring Miss Belga (model Paula Bollaert) in the colors of the Belgian flag is the standout centerpiece. Dimensions: 21 cm high x 17 cm wide. Condition B+: intact overall (see photos). Shipping: in reinforced envelope with track & trace.

The Miss Belga logo first appeared in the mid-1920s and was the culmination of a carefully planned marketing campaign avant la lettre, devised by Alphonse and François Vander Elst, the owners of the Antwerp cigarette brand. There was long confusion about her identity, but the original Miss Belga was the Antwerp-based Paula Bollaert. A secretary who, at age 19, was asked to pose for a poster.