Original French satirical poster created in 1914 by the celebrated Alsatian artist Hansi, the pseudonym of Jean-Jacques Waltz, and published and printed in Paris by Gallais.
Known as La Parade à Saverne, the composition illustrates an episode from the Saverne Affair, a major political and military scandal that erupted in Alsace at the end of 1913. At the time, Alsace-Lorraine had been governed by the German Empire for forty-two years following its annexation in 1871.
The controversy began when the young Prussian officer Günter von Forstner made insulting remarks about the Alsatian population. After the comments became public, demonstrations developed around the military garrison. When von Forstner later went into Saverne to purchase chocolate, he was accompanied by an armed escort—an excessive display of military protection that Hansi transformed into a brilliantly observed caricature.
Von Forstner and his stiffly marching soldiers occupy the centre of the composition, surrounded by curious residents and mischievous children. Behind them, Hansi carefully depicts Saverne’s traditional houses, shopfronts and half-timbered architecture. The contrast between the picturesque Alsatian town and the exaggerated military procession heightens the absurdity of the scene.
The bilingual caption reads: “How, at Saverne, forty-two years after the annexation, First Lieutenant von Forstner purchased a packet of chocolate.” Its French and English texts allowed the image’s political message to reach an audience beyond Alsace and France.
Hansi, born Jean-Jacques Waltz in Colmar in 1873, became famous for his affectionate representations of Alsatian villages, regional costumes and everyday life. Beneath their colourful and apparently innocent appearance, however, many of his illustrations expressed strong opposition to German rule and support for Alsace’s return to France. His anti-German publications repeatedly brought him into conflict with the imperial authorities, and in 1914 he was sentenced to imprisonment before escaping to France.
Printed in colour by Gallais in Paris, this original poster combines political satire, regional history and Hansi’s distinctive narrative style. It is an evocative document of Alsatian identity immediately before the First World War and an important collector’s piece relating to French propaganda, European political history and the celebrated work of Hansi.
Original Poster
War - 1914-1918 - Alsace
Printed by Gallais in Paris
Good condition, creases visible
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