Nicolas Catalogues

Etienne Nicolas (1870-1960) guided the Nicolas stores after 1922 through a major expansion after World War I.  For one thing, he purchased quarries in Charenton outside of Paris, which would house the substantial reserve stocks of Bordeaux and other French wines acquired by the firm. These quarries maintained a naturally constant temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees centigrade) and humidity of 80 percent. The capacity of the caves was 12,000,000 bottles, and in the mid-1980s, they contained over 7,000,000 bottles, of which almost 2,000,000 were of “Grand Vin” quality. 

Secondly, from 1928 to 1973, Etienne Nicolas recognized the synergy between wine and art. The firm commissioned great painters to illustrate its catalogues of fine vintages; each year, an artist was to create artistic covers, interior illustrations, and even text to accompany their Liste des Grands Vins Fins or Wine List for that year. In the first half of the 20th century there were French and émigré artists who worked in Paris and created the l’École de Paris, otherwise known as the School of Paris. This referred to the importance of Paris as a center of Western art and became a center for artistic activity. This name also applied to artists involved in the many collaborations and overlapping new art movements, between post-Impressionists and pointillism and Orphism, Fauvism, and Cubism. Early artists included Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, and Henri Matisse. Following the Nazi occupation of France, many of these artists fled Europe.

Graphic design in France became the story of the times. Graphic designers were influenced by the movements and artists from Germany, Russia, Poland, and elsewhere. There were many exhibitions and trade fairs during the 1920s and 1930s. Additionally, there were technological advancements in printing, changes in business, advertising, and politics that shaped history; even wine history had been shaped by graphic designers. Evidence of this is displayed in these Nicolas catalogues.  Each catalogue during these years was designed around a specific theme. Today, the catalogues are noted for the most elegant wine lists produced in the first half of the twentieth century.

No catalogues were produced between 1940-1948 the time period around World War II.. The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County has 29 of a possible 38 in its collection. It was important for us to collect these catalogues. We can see not only what vineyards were offering in their wine selections but also the cost of each of these vintages during the span of a 45-year period. And don’t forget, a collection of great artists‘ works from that same period. of time. 

The Establissements Nicolas catalogues were produced by the printers Draeger Frerés, who owned a major design studio and hired top designers. The typography and layout of the catalogues between 1945 and 1964 are by Alfred Latour. 

Monsieur Nicolas, aka “Nectar Livreur” – Nectar, the wine delivery man
One of the first recurring characters in the history of advertising (50 years)
Invented by the artist Jules Isnard Dransy (1883-1945)   ca. 1922

This instantly recognizable image had many incarnations. Later posters by Iribe, Loupot and Cassandre appeared throughout the years. Here are just a few examples.

Charles Loupot (1892-1962)  ca. 1933

Adolphe Mouron Cassandre (1901-1968)   ca. 1948

Resource:

For these images from the Vintage Review newsletter, “Wine, s’il vous plait?,”  June 18, 2019 found at https://www.rennertsgallery.com/2019/06/18/nicolas-posters/