Sova Bread, ‘Produce of the Land, Vintage Israeli Poster by Franz Kraus, 1930’s

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An extremely rare advertisement poster for Sova Bread, printed in Eretz Israel in 1936. This poster was displayed at the Sova Bakery stand during the second Levant Fair in Tel Aviv that year.

Designed by Franz Kraus (also known as Franz Krausz), an Israeli graphic designer. Kraus grew up in Graz, Austria, and claimed that his favorite place was his brother Emil Kraus’s art studio. He lived in Berlin, where he eventually assumed the position of the sole graphic designer at Friedrich Ernst (publisher). Kraus settled in Tel Aviv in 1934. Through receptive manufacturers, Franz was able to acquire clients for advertising; he designed posters for companies such as Dubek cigarettes, for which he worked for 45 years. Another ongoing client was Elite, a candy manufacturer (today owned by Straus). Although Kraus employed photography later in his career, his most dynamic and colorful work was realized through his hand-painted artwork, frequently in gouache, sometimes utilizing photographic studies shot by his wife. His best-known image, though not his aesthetic best, is the “Visit Palestine” poster of 1936. He was prolific but made very little money from frugal clients and, according to Kraus himself, was unable to work for free. He was one of Israel’s most accomplished graphic designers.