At both venues of the exhibition, there were 50 posters showing models extolling the virtures of everything from Sunmaid Raisins and Tiger Balm to Sunlight Soap and White Horse cigarettes. These were the same girls that almost always appeared in their advertisements. One such is the Eveready model, though not very pretty as far as Shanghai beauties went, she was a much featured favourite. Some earlier posters also had women so lacking in looks, that the general consensus amongst experts is that they were probably men in drag. A 1918 print with Mei Lanfang, a male opera star who revelled in female roles, is one example.
Prices are highly subjective.
This does not faze Paramaspry one bit. She readily admits that some of her posters cost a fraction of their current asking price when she first started collecting them six years ago. But demand has far exceeded what in this case was a limited supply to begin with. And of course, on whom and what it features. In Singapore until later this year when she leaves for Italy to learn art restoration, this prudent collector refuses to part with her rarer pieces citing sentiment and the fact that their worth can only increase in a more mature market.