Let us stroll into the casino
Date1908
Artist
Alexander Popini
(Romanian illustrator and sculptor, 1878–1962)
Illustration Citation"Monte Carlo," by Cleveland Moffett, in Success Magazine, November 1908
MediumInk on illustration board
Dimensionssheet: 15 11/16 × 11 7/8 in. (39.8 × 30.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Helen Farr Sloan, 1987
Object number1987-148
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextThis is one of several drawings that Romanian-born Alexander Popini made for an article describing the sights and characters around the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco. In the first decade of the twentieth century, ocean liners and their enticing advertisements aimed at the middle class increasingly brought Americans to Europe as tourists, an activity formerly restricted to the wealthy. In this scene, the Romanian-born Popini brought together his talents as an illustrator of historical texts, fashion spreads, and advertisements. Cleveland Moffett was a foreign correspondent for New York newspapers; his article highlights elegant visitors such as Popini's group while it also casts some disapproval on the corruption of the gambling world.
Self-identified as "an up-to-date journal of inspiration, encouragement, progress and self-help," Success began publication in 1897. Despite contributors like novelists Theodore Dreiser and Upton Sinclair, the magazine never achieved a dependable circulation base, especially as its original Horatio-Alger type philosophy went out of style. In 1928, it ceased publication.
