Lot 557: Rare D’Jelmako The Canadian Metis French Acrobat Advertisement Poster

Large D’Jelmako, La Metis Canadien (The Canadian Metis) acrobat or circus lithograph poster printed by Affiches Americain, Charles Levy, Paris, late 19th/early 20th c. With D’Jelmako shown frontally in bust-length with long, braided black hair and a red bandana tied around his neck. Vignettes with various acrobatic and other feats performed by D’Jelmako including marksmanship surround the portrait. Above, a nocturnal scene shows D’Jelmako as he walks a tightrope while illuminated by pyrotechnic displays. French text along the lower edge reads “TOUS CES EXERCICES SERONT EXECUTES EN PLUSIEURS FOIS” (All these exercises will be performed several times), plus publication information: “Affiches Americain. CH. LEVY. 10 Rue Martel. Paris (9876).” Housed under glass in an ebonized and giltwood frame. Sheet: 46 1/2 in H x 33 in W. Frame: 52 1/2 in H x 39 in W. Note: Born in 1857 near Marseilles, France to a French father and Native American/French mother of partial Canadian descent, Etienne Joseph Marie Blanc, later called D’Jelmako, began a career as a performer around 1876. He would achieve fame as a funambule or tightrope walker and performed throughout Europe and America, including at the International Exhibition in Brussels in 1897 and with the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Paris in 1901. His long, extraordinary career came to an end when he succumbed to injuries sustained during a performance in France in 1933. He was 75 years old. Numerous posters and postcards attest to his varied abilities and his fame. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Sheet is laid to canvas backing. With small silver dots added to pyrotechnic display by hand and very fine fold lines throughout. Frame with abrasions and losses.