Jos. Notermans & Cie Hasselt, created by L. van Leer & Cie in 1890, turns beverage advertising into a lively panorama of work, trade and street life. At its centre, a woman in traditional dress pulls a cart crowded with bottles, her blue, white and red clothing standing out against the warm brown architecture. Around her, horses, pedestrians, children and dogs animate the scene, while the company name is carried across the lower edge in large, ornate lettering.

The design belongs to a late nineteenth-century commercial culture in which manufacturers increasingly relied upon richly coloured graphics to establish a recognisable public identity. Rather than presenting bottles in isolation, L. van Leer & Cie constructs a complete social world around the Jos. Notermans & Cie name. Hasselt itself has a longstanding association with beverage production and distilling, making the combination of bustling commerce, abundant bottles and prominent place-name especially resonant. The result is both advertisement and miniature urban narrative: a business represented through movement, prosperity and everyday activity.

A closer look

The wide, horizontal composition unfolds in overlapping layers. The bottle cart dominates the foreground, its wheels and neatly arranged contents lending a strong structure to the centre of the design. The woman pulling it leans into her task, introducing a clear diagonal movement, while two dogs near the cart add a smaller burst of restless energy. Fine decorative patterning in her clothing rewards closer attention, as do the varied labels attached to the bottles.

Behind this central group, the street remains in motion. On the left, a dark horse-drawn cart carries further goods through the scene; nearby, formally dressed men appear to converse beside the buildings. Towards the right, a boy runs with a box, echoed by another figure carrying a substantial bag. These gestures prevent the design from becoming a static display. Goods are not merely shown but loaded, pulled, carried and delivered, giving the advertisement the rhythm of an active commercial enterprise.

The architecture supplies an elaborate backdrop of windows, masonry and ornamental scrollwork. Warm umbers and russet reds are interrupted by cooler blue and green passages, creating depth without sacrificing the strong colour contrasts needed for an advertising design. Figures in the foreground are clearly separated from the more tightly detailed buildings behind them, while the horse, carts and receding façades guide the eye laterally across the busy street. Below, the inscription “JOS. NOTERMANS & CIE. HASSELT” provides a firm graphic base, its decorative script balancing the crowded illustration above.

Context and significance

Trade graphics of this period occupied a productive space between practical commerce and popular visual culture. Their immediate task was promotional, yet their designers drew upon the narrative detail, polished lettering and decorative richness familiar from illustrated publications and display advertising. Here, the company is associated not only with its bottled wares but with an entire chain of labour and distribution. Dress, transport and architecture all help to make that commercial identity feel tangible.

What makes the design particularly engaging is its abundance of incident. The eye may first settle on the woman and bottle cart, but the smaller exchanges—the running child, conversing gentlemen, harnessed horse and accompanying dogs—gradually emerge around her. More than a surviving company advertisement, Jos. Notermans & Cie Hasselt offers a vivid glimpse of how late nineteenth-century businesses pictured themselves: industrious, sociable and woven into the life of the street.

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.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. See examples of personalised artwork.

Choose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. See examples of our Aged artwork.

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.

Framed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.

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.