{"product_id":"dinner-to-honor-monsieur-johnston-bordeaux-1880s","title":"Dinner to Honor Monsieur Johnston, Bordeaux 1880s","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis extraordinary image of a lobster sitting at a table on the deck of a ship at sunset, perusing a menu and enjoying a bottle of wine, is from the famous wine-producing region of Bordeaux, France, and is dated about 1880.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurreal imagery, portraying real or imaginary things that have the disorienting quality of a dream or hallucination, was a popular artistic expression in the late 19th century. Anthropomorphic animal-people often appeared on artwork, including menus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis bon viveur crustacean was the front cover of the menu for a dinner held in honor of ‘Monsieur Johnston.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe believe this would have been Nathaniel Johnston VI of the famous Nathaniel Johnston \u0026amp; Fils, a company that has been serving the wine trade for three centuries. Established in 1734 by William Johnston, of Scottish descent, the company began as a shipping entity and then started to age ‘New French Claret’ in its own cellars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1840, Johnston oversaw an expansion of the business that led the company to become part owners of Château Latour. It acquired Château Ducru-Beaucaillou and Château Dauzac in 1865.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA festive dish of chicken infused with truffles was on offer for ‘Monsieur Johnston’s' dinner and – of course – there was a fabulous wine list from some of the best producers in France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe menu itself was printed Reday-Hachette, a 19th-century printing, publishing, and wine-trading business located in Bordeaux.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1884, working alongside estate manager Ernest David and botanist and mycologist Alexis Millardet, Johnston helped develop the famous ‘Bordeaux mixture ‘(a copper sulfate and lime solution) to combat mildew plaguing French vines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe following year, he was invited to help formulate the legendary 1885 Bordeaux Classification. Commissioned by Emperor Napoleon II for the Paris Exposition, the historic list ranked the finest red and sweet white wines in the region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe list covered 61 red wine estates (mostly from the Médoc plus Château Haut-Brion in Graves) and sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barsac. Red wines were split into five hierarchical ‘Growths’ (Crus), while top sweet wines included a unique Premier Cru Supérieur category for Château d'Yquem. The list remains largely unchanged today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClearly Johnston was held in high esteem among French winemakers and, with its name now shortened to Nath. Johnston \u0026amp; Fils, the 9th and tenth generations of the Johnston family continue to run one of the major Bordeaux wine merchants for Classified Growths. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith thanks to Henry Voigt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson Ultrachrome HD archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eEach order includes a print of the interior menu.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAll printed in USA.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vintage Menu Art","offers":[{"title":"8.5x11\" Archival Print (Unframed) $25.00","offer_id":47191718821990,"sku":"8.5x11\"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"11x14 Archival Print (Unframed) $30.00","offer_id":47191718854758,"sku":"11x14 U","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"13x19 Archival Print (Unframed) $40.00","offer_id":47191718887526,"sku":"13x19 U","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20 Archival Print (Unframed) $55.00","offer_id":47191718920294,"sku":"16x20 U","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x24 Archival Print (Unframed) $85.00","offer_id":47191718953062,"sku":"20x24 U","price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36 Archival Print (Unframed) $135.00","offer_id":47191718985830,"sku":"24x36 U","price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0131\/3352\/files\/dinner-to-honor-monsieur-johnston-bordeaux-1880s-posters-prints-visual-artwork-521.webp?v=1789603750","url":"https:\/\/vintagemenuart.com\/products\/dinner-to-honor-monsieur-johnston-bordeaux-1880s","provider":"Vintage Menu Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}