Poster — Five-Legged Skater. Poster advertising Polish circus , Poland, Warsaw, 1967
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1967
Poster in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.244-2021), made in Poland, Warsaw, dated 1967, attributed to Janowski, Witold. The museum's brief description reads: Poster advertising Polish circus, 1967.
Colour lithograph by Witold Janowski (1926-2006). Museum description: Pictorial poster advertising Polish circus, illustrated with an image of a five-legged clown on roller skates. He wears a conical hat, a striped tie and white gloves. Printed in red, blue, yellow and black on white paper. The museum records it as Printing ink on paper, measuring Height 99.0 cm; Width 68.6 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
During the 1960s the Polish State Entertainment Agency (ZPR) hit on the idea of promoting Polish circus (CYRK) by commissioning posters from a group of leading poster artists, including the graphic artist and poster designer Witold Janowski (1926-2006). Born in Warsaw, Janowski graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Warsaw in 1953. He also studied at the Poznan Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in 1971, and went on to teach at the Gdansk Academy of Fine Arts between 1971 and 1990, and to produce prize-winning posters. Many of the Polish circus posters produced by the ZPR featured the word Cyrk in eye-catching graphics. These posters were not intended as advertisements for specific performances or companies but as works of poster art that conjured the spirit of Polish circus. Brilliantly designed, rich in fantasy and humour, these posters were soon appreciated within Poland and abroad as collectable items, and have since featured in many exhibitions of poster art world-wide.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- paper, printing ink
- Dimensions
- Height 99.0 cm; Width 68.6 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Printing ink on paper
- Maker recorded
- Janowski, Witold
- Place recorded
- Poland, Warsaw
Identification
- Museum object name
- Poster
- Museum object number
- S.244-2021
- Museum system number
- O1607490
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.