Twining Tea | 1930

Twining Tea, 1930, by Charles Loupot

This striking Art Deco poster presents a geometric composition featuring a stylised letter "T" formed from bold vertical bands of olive green and red, with angular red extensions at the top resembling arms or wings. Rising from the base of this abstract "T" are delicate white and red swirls representing steam emanating from a porcelain cup and saucer positioned at the bottom right of the design. The cup contains a rich amber-coloured tea, its warmth emphasised by subtle shading. The brand name "TWINING" appears in strong, blocky black typography at the bottom of the poster, creating a stable foundation for the composition. The artist's signature "ch. Loupot" and the date "30" appear discreetly in the upper right corner, while the bottom edge notes "Edition 'les belles affiches' Création 1930".

Twinings was already a well-established British tea company by the 1930s, having been founded in 1706 when Thomas Twining opened his first tea shop on London's Strand. By the time this poster was created, the company had been operating for over 200 years and had helped establish tea as Britain's national drink. The 1930s marked a period when tea consumption was at its height in Britain, with the beverage deeply embedded in the social fabric across all classes. This advertisement was created during a time of modernisation in marketing, when traditional imagery was being replaced by bold graphic designs that emphasised simplicity and impact. The poster was produced by "Les Belles Affiches" (Beautiful Posters), a prestigious Paris-based studio that Loupot had founded in the mid-1920s, specialising in high-quality commercial art. This design represents the global reach of Twinings, a quintessentially British brand being advertised through French Art Deco aesthetics.

Charles Loupot (1892-1962) was one of France's most influential poster artists, alongside contemporaries like A.M. Cassandre and Jean Carlu. Born in Nice, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon before his training was interrupted by World War I, where he was wounded and subsequently discharged. After recuperating in Switzerland, he learned lithography at the Wolfensberger printing house in Zurich, where he created his first hundred posters. Loupot returned to Paris in 1923, establishing himself as a leading commercial artist with clients including Peugeot, St-Raphaël, and Coty. In 1930, the year this Twining poster was created, Loupot left Les Belles Affiches and began collaborating with Cassandre on projects for the Alliance Graphique. His work was heavily influenced by avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, particularly Cubism and Purism, and exemplifies the Art Deco style.