SPECIAL COURVOISIER

We are pleased to present this special and historically significant collection of very rare Disney Courvoisier cels & backgrounds at a fraction of retail gallery prices.

History of Courvoisier cels:
In the late 1930's, San Francisco gallery owner Guthrie Courvoisier convinced Walt Disney that the cels used to create Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were actually art, rather than a valueless byproduct of the movie's production process. He convinced Disney to allow him to market cels from this feature through his gallery. His unique style of marketing these nitrate cels included trimming the cels to the outline of the images and affixing them to beautiful, specially prepared backgrounds and displaying them in inexpensive mats and small frames.

Courvoisier continued to market Disney cels in this manner into the 1940's. Throughout the years Courvoisier set-ups have become very rare and highly collectible. Because of the unstable nature of nitrate cels and the inexpensive matting and framing used, very few examples of Courvoisier cels have survived. When they do surface, the inevitably command premium sums from astute collectors. They are most noted for their uniquely beautiful backgrounds and are often the only remaining cels from these early Disney masterpieces. If it were not for Guthrie Courvisier's unique vision and recognition of animation art as a true artform in itself, may of these historically significant Disney artifacts would be lost forever.

Please note that we list all cels in their original condition. Due to their age, some may require restoration. We believe that all collectors should know the original condition of their art prior to purchase. Should you desire, we may provide professional restoration services at reasonable rates.