Capstan Rum Advertisement, 1938

Estate stamp verso. Auction sticker on back.

Provenance
Dupain Estate
Rex Dupain, the artist’s son Private collection, Sydney

Image size: 35.9 × 27.7 cm

Framed size: 64 x 53.6 cm

This photograph is an uncommon example of Dupain’s commercial advertising photography from the late 1930s. By 1938, Dupain had established himself as a leading commercial photographer in fashion, advertising and portraiture, gaining exposure through the lifestyle magazine The Home, which featured 186 pages of his photographs. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Dupain was best known for his fashion illustrations, advertising and social portraits regularly published in The Home magazine until it ceased publication in 1942. This Capstan Rum advertisement was most likely created for publication in The Home, reflecting Dupain’s modernist approach to commercial work – characterised by bold compositions, stark tonal contrasts and creative use of light.