Art Nouveau Greeting Card, Woman with Raised Arm, Eva Daniell (Artist), Raphael Tuck & Son's, England/Germ., ca 1902, Attrib.

This is a stunning art nouveau greeting card that we attribute to the famous Raphael Tuck & Son's Ltd. company, ca 1902-1904. The cover of the greeting card booklet features a woman dancing in a flowing multi-colored gown, likely modeled after the iconic Loie Fuller and her revolutionary serpentine dance. The booklet is tied together with a cream colored ribbon and features the highest quality chromolithography and extensive gilding, presumably produced in Germany (Raphael Tuck's homeland) and known for their superior printing techniques. The front is titled Happy Days and has a scalloped top and multiple additional nouveau flourishes. The second page features a beautiful gilded floral inset, likely a lettuce leaf poppy, and a whip lash surround. The third page includes a brief poem ("Upon the rounded dial of your life..."), a generous greeting ("Many Happy Returns of the Day...to you), and an inked signature ("Flora and Sara").

In 1902, Tuck Ltd. produced a six postcard series based on the incredible work of Evangeline (Eva) Mary Daniell, 1880-1902, listed under their Connoisseur Series and Modern Art Series. Some considered her to be the English equivalent of Alphonse Mucha, but sadly she died at the young age of 22, reportedly from consumption (tuberculosis) and little is know about her. One of the cards in this much-sought-after series is quite similar to this greeting card, though different in color and design (linked below); and we attribute this greeting card based on this well-documented piece.