Condé Nast Prints

I was recently offered a free print from the Condé Nast Store and Art.com. As many of you know, the Condé Nast Store sells prints of photographs and illustrations that have appeared in their various publications including Vogue, The New Yorker, and House & Garden. I thought no more of the offer until I wrote my blog post a few weeks back on vintage illustrated advertisements, something that prompted me to visit the Condé Nast site. After taking a look at the store's website, I decided to take them up on their offer out of curiosity.

Trying to choose my print was difficult. The site offers thousands of prints featuring the work of Christian Bérard, Cecil Beaton, René Bouché, Horst, and others. Did I want an illustration from the 1930s? A Vogue cover from the 1950s? A 1960s table setting photo from House & Garden? I finally settled on a print of a Christian Bérard illustration that appeared in the October 1935 issue of Vogue. (That's it, above.)

I was a little skeptical about what the quality of the print might be. I'm usually not so keen on reproductions nor prints that are offered online. However, I have to say that when I received it, I was very pleasantly surprised. It appears to be good quality, and while it doesn't have the old patina that an original illustration from this era would possess, it's still a charming print. My only complaint is that beneath the illustration is a caption with the Condé Nast copyright. Just something to keep in mind should you order your print framed.

While you're probably not going to display these prints in places where important art should be hung, they would look terrific in powder rooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and offices. The gorgeous photos of food that appeared in Gourmet magazine might look great if hung on the backsplash in your kitchen. Just be forewarned: it's very easy to spend hours browsing through the Condé Nast Store website.



A Cecil Beaton illustration from the March 1933 issue of Vogue.




A Horst photograph from the September 1965 issue of Vogue.



A Sal Traina photo of Truman Capote and Gloria Vanderbilt from W, May 1972.



A House & Garden photo by Herbert Matter that appeared in the January 1950 issue.



A Romulo Yanes photo from Gourmet, January 2001.


All photos the copyright of Condé Nast and Art.com