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Results for “art nouveau printing”
1901 Philibin and Vve Barrot Cairo Art Nouveau hardware merchant letterhead invoice with floral bilingual masthead

Egypt 1901 - Philibin & Vve. Barrot, Cairo Hardware Merchants (Art Nouveau Letterhead Invoice)

Original 1901 illustrated invoice from Philibin & Vve. Barrot, the prominent Cairo ironmongery and hardware firm founded in 1871. The masthead is printed in a pale blue-grey Art Nouveau style, featuring an ornamental banner with PHILIBIN & Vve. BARROT in bold serif capitals framed by curling acanthus leaves and floral sprays. At left appears a decorative shield listing the firm's specialties-grand assortiment de quincaillerie, ferronnerie, serrurerie, and outils et articles de ménage-accompanied by a full Arabic translation in fine Khedivial-era type. The imprint 'Alex., Imp. Générale A. Mourès & Cie 8199' at the lower margin identifies one of Egypt's leading commercial lithographers. Read more →

EgyptCommercial Document1901N/A (Merchant Invoice)Uncertified (VF, Full Header, Clean Margins) Commercial DocumentCommercial InvoiceIllustrated LetterheadArt Nouveau DesignHardware MerchantsIronmongeryA. Mourès & CieCommercial History EgyptRetail History EgyptCommercial Invoice HistoryFrench Arabic LetterheadBilingual PrintingCosmopolitan CairoTurn of the Century CommerceArt Nouveau PrintingEuropean Trade GoodsPre Protectorate EgyptEgyptCairo1901Museum GradeR6 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
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1918 Banque Belge pour l’Étranger Cairo branch issued cheque with Art Nouveau border and full branch list

Egypt 1918 - Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original cheque issued by the Cairo branch of Banque Belge pour l'Étranger on 2 September 1918, produced during the final phase of the First World War. The form is printed on light cream security stock with a richly engraved Art Nouveau header. Along the left margin runs a vertical ornamental cartouche enclosing the bank’s interlocking monogram and the legend BANQUE BELGE POUR L'ÉTRANGER – LE CAIRE, framed by a list of the bank’s principal branches in BRUXELLES, LONDRES, ROTTERDAM, LE CAIRE, ALEXANDRIE, SHANGHAI, PEKIN and TIENTSIN. The wide geographical spread reflects the institution’s pre-war ambition to operate as a global correspondent house linking European capital with Asian and Middle Eastern commercial centers.

Security Printing Art Nouveau Security Printing Wartime Economy Egypt
1911 Odeon Hall Cairo invoice for gold watch repair on bilingual French Arabic letterhead

Egypt 1911 - The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

The page displays a refined pre-war commercial aesthetic: scrolling decorative borders, clear French titles with Arabic equivalents, and balanced typesetting characteristic of early Cairo printing houses. The handwritten entries record the repair work performed and the charges assessed, written in the fluid cursive typical of early 20th-century shop clerks. Final settlement is noted at the bottom, confirming the transaction’s completion and the customer’s acknowledgment.

Bilingual Printing
1908 Mohammed El Komi Cairo carriage and automobile workshop invoice with illustrated carriage header

Egypt 1908 - Mohammed El Komi Carriage & Automobile Workshop Invoice

Mohammed El Komi’s workshop represented a transitional moment in Cairo’s urban transport industry. At the turn of the century, Egypt's roads were dominated by carriages, fiacres, and hired carts, yet the earliest imported motorcars were already appearing among the elite. Carriage makers such as El Komi adapted rapidly, offering both traditional vehicle repair and emerging automotive services. These mixed workshops were among the first in Cairo to work simultaneously on horse-drawn vehicles and imported motorcars, bridging traditional craftsmanship with new mechanical technology.

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