Joe Loe: A Berlin-Born jewish master of German poster Art
Joe Loe (1887-1964) was a German graphic designer, poster artist, and book illustrator. He also created a small number of very distinctive and attractive postcards, which are very hard to find these days, even in Germany.
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Joe Loe’s real name was Josef (or Joel) Löwenstein. He was born into a Jewish family in 1887 and died in New York City in 1964. As a young man he moved to Berlin where he quickly made a name for himself as a commercial artist known for his humorous advertising designs.
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In the 1930 Joe Loe also started making advertising films, but in 1935, because of his Jewish descent, he was officially banned from continuing with his professional activities. Soon after, he and his wife emigrated to Brazil where he stayed and worked in Rio de Janeiro for a year before moving on to the United States of America. He became an American citizen in 1945 and died in New York in 1964. More details about his life and work can be found (in German) in Volker Pirsich’s “Sturmbaukasten”.
Christmas
Published by Max Herzberg in Berlin and posted on Christmas Eve 1913.
Published by Max Herzberg in Berlin.
Advertising
Probably Joe Loe’s best-known poster, promoting the music revue “How Much Is Hamburg?”, which premiered at Hamburg’s Neue Operetten Theater in 1912 when this card was posted.
This card is unsigned, but the style and colouring suggests that the design is Loe’s. It promotes the liquid aluminum “Frico”. Posted in 1920.
An advert for Preolit antifreeze, which was an additive for mortar, plaster, and concrete manufactured by a company from Dresden.
More Advertising
An advert for Spratt’s, a London-based company that used to be the world’s largest manufacturer of dog biscuits. It was founded in 1870. This card was created on the occasion of its 50th birthday in 1920.
Another card promoting Spratt’s dog biscuits as well as chicken food.
This is an advert for a mechanical carpet sweeper produced by the American company Bissell, which still exists (and still sells carpet cleaners) today. Published by Curt Behrends in Berlin. Posted in 1913.
This one is odd. It is one of Joe Loe’s known designs, but this card is hand-painted. It was sent from Itzehoe to Alt-Seegaard in 1907. I’m not sure whether it is a copy of Joe Loe’s work or the original.
The Lützow-Confiserie was a confectionery in Berlin. It’s gone now.
Christmas and New Year
Published by Max Herzog in Berlin. Poster 1929.
Published by Max Herzog in Berlin. Posted 1917.
This card wishes a happy New Year in Hungarian. It was also posted in Hungary. I wasn’t able to identify the publisher whose logo are the letters R, H, and B in a triangle pointing downwards with a crowned lion on top of it.
Published by Max Herzberg in Berlin. Posted in 1924.
Published by Wilhelm S. Schröder in Berlin (No. 2034)
Published by Wilhelm S. Schröder in Berlin (No. 2020).