Walter Crane’s Champagne Hau & Co Reims, created in 1894, turns a beverage advertisement into an elaborate pageant of figure, foliage and lettering. A woman in flowing white and gold occupies the right of the tall composition, raising a champagne chalice while extending her other arm across a luxuriant field of vines. Below her, the name “CHAMPAGNE HAU” commands an ornate circular cartouche, with “REIMS” set beneath it. Warm golds and earthy orange tones glow against dark green leaves, purple grapes and a pale blue ground.

Crane was an English artist and designer closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, which sought to dissolve the conventional boundary between fine and applied art. His work ranged across illustration, decoration and commercial design, making him particularly well suited to the increasingly sophisticated world of late nineteenth-century colour advertising. Here, the product is not presented in isolation. Instead, Crane gives the brand a complete decorative setting, linking champagne with cultivated ceremony, abundance and the refined visual language of contemporary design. The prominently displayed place name also carries weight: Reims stands at the heart of the Champagne-producing region of France.

A closer look

The woman provides the composition with its principal vertical movement. Fine lines articulate the curls of her hair and the folds of her white drapery, while a golden bodice creates a concentrated area of warmth at the centre of the figure. Her pose is poised but expansive: the raised chalice draws attention upwards, while her outstretched arm leads the eye laterally towards the surrounding ornament. Small highlights along the glass distinguish its delicate form from the denser patterns of cloth and vegetation.

Across the upper background, curling golden stems, dark leaves and clusters of purple grapes form an almost tapestry-like canopy. The foliage is more than a botanical embellishment; it structures the page, framing the figure and guiding the eye towards the lettering below. Crane varies the visual texture carefully. Smooth passages of pale fabric are set against serrated leaf edges, rounded fruit and tightly controlled linear flourishes, while subdued shadows behind the vines give the otherwise graphic arrangement a modest sense of depth.

The typography is integrated into this ornamental system rather than applied as an afterthought. “CHAMPAGNE HAU” sits within a decorative roundel whose curved border echoes the grapes, stems and folds elsewhere in the design. “REIMS” occupies the lower register in elegant serif lettering, establishing a clear hierarchy from figure to brand and finally to place. A thin border contains the activity, making the poster read as a unified decorative panel despite its asymmetrical emphasis.

Context and significance

By the 1890s, commercial posters offered artists a highly visible arena in which illustration, typography and branding could be combined. Companies increasingly commissioned memorable designs rather than relying solely on straightforward labels or dense announcements. Crane’s poster belongs to this shift: its message is immediately legible, yet its appeal rests equally upon pattern, contour and compositional balance. The advertisement adopts the richness of book decoration and applied design while retaining the directness required of public-facing graphic art.

That fusion is central to Crane’s wider significance. His bold outlines and disciplined page structures allowed images and words to function as parts of the same design, an approach clearly demonstrated here. Champagne Hau & Co Reims remains compelling because no element is merely incidental: the chalice, vines, figure, cartouche and lettering all participate in a single visual rhythm, giving a commercial commission the coherence of a carefully conceived decorative work.

Choosing the right size and finish

Artwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.

If you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, ask our workshop for advice.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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Every piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.

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Selected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and specialist framing are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, contact our workshop.

This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.