Artist · 19 prints
Emil Cardinaux Prints
About Emil Cardinaux
Emil Cardinaux (1877–1936) was a Swiss painter and poster designer from Bern, and one of the pioneers of the modern Swiss poster. He first studied law, then moved to Munich in 1898 to train as an artist and learn lithography, the printing method where an image is drawn on stone and printed in layers of colour. After travels in Europe he settled back in Bern and took on painting and design commissions.
His most famous design is Zermatt – Matterhorn (1908), made for the Swiss Federal Railways and printed by Wolfensberger in Zurich. It shows the mountain as a huge, simple shape glowing in warm colour above a dark foreground, and it set the pattern for how Swiss mountains appeared on travel posters for decades. Emil Cardinaux designed well over a hundred posters for resorts, railways, hotels, shops and public causes, including the 1914 Swiss National Exhibition in Bern, whose green horse caused a stir. Examples are held in Swiss design collections such as the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich.
Emil Cardinaux prints: reproductions of the Swiss travel and advertising posters Emil Cardinaux designed between 1905 and 1928. The collection includes Zermatt: Matterhorn 4505 m, Schweiz (1908), Jungfrau-Bahn: Berner Oberland, Schweiz (1910), Swiss National Exhibition, Berne 1914, Palace Hotel St. Moritz (1921) and Chocolat de Villars (1905).
This selection concentrates on Swiss Alpine scenery made for railways, resorts and hotels: the Matterhorn, the Jungfrau region, the Engadine lakes, Davos and the Gotthard. Alongside these are his commercial posters for clothing, shoes, chocolate and cars. The mountain posters show large, simplified peaks in warm light, often above a darker foreground.
The mountain views suit living rooms, bedrooms and chalet-style interiors, and the larger landscapes work above a sofa or bed; the brighter advertising posters suit kitchens and hallways. All prints are museum-quality reproductions, available unframed or framed with acrylic glazing, with free shipping and import duties covered.
