The paint and enamel company Glasurit, founded in Hamburg, Germany, achieved early success in 1893 with “Kristallweiss” (Crystal White), an enamel typically applied to ocean liners. The advertising seems culturally confused, however, somewhat in the manner of the time. On the one hand, there is the reassurance for German viewers that this is “an authentic product of the German paint industry,” while on the other, the composition is dominated by the stereotyped figure of a Japanese man who points at a can of the product also described as “pure white Japanese enamel for interior and exterior.” The poster itself was produced by the distinguished Leipzig publishing house of Johann Jakob Weber, known for its high-quality illustrated books and calendars. The company name can be seen at lower right.
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