Raphael Kirchner was
born in Vienna in 1876. he attended the Akademie der Bildenden
Kunste in Vienna.
At the turn of the century he settled in Paris and stayed
in France until the beginning of World War I, when he moves
to United States. He died in New York, August 2, 1917. His
work could be classified as the forerunner to pin-up girls.
His first postcard work was for Philip&Kramer. Kirchner's
postcards number over 1000 designs, yet are not commonly found
in America.
His postcard success can be measured by his Geisha series.
It successfully reprinted four times for a total of 40000
copies.
His postcard design can be divided into three periods. The
late period is identified by the publisher's name on the front
of the card, usually Burton Galleries or Alpha.
The middle period always has the title of the individual postcard
printed in French on the back.
The early period is everything else, and usually is distinguished
by the strong art nouveau style, chromolithograph printing,
and undivided backs.They are also the most valuable cards |
