Je Ne Fume Que Le Nil 1912

Leonetto Cappiello designed this advertisement poster for cigarette rolling papers, featuring bold graphics and striking colors. The composition is dominated by a colossal white elephant, draped in an ornate red cloth emblazoned with the advert's slogan, 'Je Ne Fume Que Le Nil', asserting brand allegiance. The elephant strides confidently across a vivid landscape, its stylized form and exaggerated scale a powerful, surreal presence against the backdrop of swirling blues and greens. Cappiello’s approach here moves away from literal representation, instead harnessing the emotional and symbolic impact of color and scale. The poster presents an almost dreamlike quality, where semiotic meaning is deliberately destabilized through incongruous imagery. The choice of the elephant as a visual metaphor is suggestive of exoticism, and it cleverly manipulates cultural codes associated with luxury and taste to create a highly memorable and persuasive visual statement.