One of the earliest posters by Ludwig Hohlwein, produced in 1906, the year that he abandoned his architectural career in favor of graphic design. Like much of his work of this period, it was influenced partly by that of the British designers known as The Beggarstaffs (James Pryde and William Nicholson) whose novel, artistic posters were defined by simplified forms, bold silhouettes, and a limited palette of flat colors. This design for a Munich store selling hats of all kinds, promoted by a sturdy figure with a rifle, dressed in Bavarian hunting clothes and holding one of the firm’s hats, was among the first of many posters that Hohlwein created for companies specializing in mean’s tailoring and sporting clothes. His reputation both as a graphic designer and in the promotion of men’s clothing was secured in 1908 by his design for a line for the Swiss PKZ fashion house (“Confection Kehl”), one that typically hired the best new artists to produce its advertising.
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