Guo Guo furen - The state of Guo existed during the Zhou dynasty (1066BC- 256BC). Today it is east of Baoji County in Shaanxi Province.

This poster was designed by Hu Boxiang and printed in Shanghai, China. Hu Boxiang (1896-1989) was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. He excelled at landscape painting in his posters as well as historical subjects and women in tradtional dress . He was trained as a brush and ink painter and received encouragement from the renowned artist Wu Changshuo. He was also skilled in etching, watercolour painting and photography. He was a strong believer in individual creative expression. Re posters he designed for the British American Tobacco Company he usually worked with graphic artist Zhang Guangyu who would create the surrounding frame.

Painted by Hu Boxiang and printed in Shanghai, China. Overseas companies were the first to introduce this type of product promotion to China, which then prompted similar practices from local Chinese companies.
Colour lithography was used.

This poster was made before 1935.

This poster would have been used to advertise the tobacco products manufactured by the British Commercial Qidong Tobacco Company. Calendars such as this were given to customers to promote the product.

Poster, cigarettes, chromolithograph, designed by Hu Boxiang for Qidong Tobacco Company, China, before 1935

Colour commercial lithographic printed poster on paper with metal strips along top and bottom. Features illustration of the first lady of Guo state (Guo Guo furen) riding a horse lead by a female attendant and with two other female attendants at the rear, one carrying a large fan and the other a small qin [musical instrument]. The image is framed top, right and left with flowering bushes. Upper left there is a stone lion guardian statue. All women are wearing traditional robes known as Zhoufu or Zhou robes. Lower left is the artist's inscription Boxiang (Hu Boxiang) with his stamp "Hu". At the lower edge of the image are the Chinese characters 'Yingshang Qidong Yancao Gufen Youxian Gongsi Jingzeng' (Respectfully presented by the British-Funded Qidong Tobacco Co., Ltd). Below the illustration is a calendar for 1935 - 1936 and small images of different brands (like Victory and Great Qianmen Gate) of cigarette packets under Qidong company.

Designed: Boxiang, Hu; China; 1930

Made: Shanghai, China; 1930 - 1935


Used: Qidong Tobacco Company; China

Chinese characters in top yellow panel: "Ying Shang Qi Dong Yan Cao Gu Fen You Xian Gong Si (illeg.)" (British-Funded Qi Dong Tabacco Co., Ltd. (followed by another three illegible characters))

Artist's signiture down left "Bo Xiang" (stands for Hu Boxiang), followed by his red seal imprint "Hu".

Down the bottom of the illustration panel: "Ying Shang Qi Dong Yan Cao Gu Fen You Xian Gong Si Jing Zeng" (Respectfully presented by the British-Funded Qi Dong Tabacco Co., Ltd).

Under the illustration panel, above the calendar, there is a belt shaped panel with four large Chinese characters that read from right to left as "Guo Guo Fu Ren" (Mrs Guo Guo, the first lady of Guo State), followed by a calligraphy paragraph of Tang poet Zhang Hu's poem written by Cai Zilu:
"Guo Guo Fu Ren Cheng Zhu En" (The first lady of Guo state is indebted to the Emperor),
"Ping Ming Qi Ma Ru Jin Men" (She rode a horse and entered from Jin Gate in the dawn).
"Que Xian Zhi Fen Wu Yan Se" (She is worried that make-ups would defile her beautiful face),
"Dan Sao E Mei Chao Yu Zun" (So she only drew her eyebrows gently and went out showing with her pure jade body).

In the calendar panel, Chinese characters on right are read from top to bottom as "Kang De Er Nian Sui Ci Yi Hai" (the second year of Kangde reign, which is Yi Hai year (1935)). On right "Xi Li Yi Qian Jiu Bai San Shi Wu Nian Zhi San Shi Liu Nian" (the western calendar 1935-1936). Between these two lines are 12 months' calendar from January 1935 (on right) to January 1936 (on left).

99/102/17

1930

1075 mm

385 mm