How publicity stunt made French painter famous

Historical publicity stunts: How
Harry Reichenbach made French Artist, Paul Chabas' painting famous

Another early PR practitioner was Harry Reichenbach (1882–1931) a New York-based
American press agent and publicist who promoted movies.
He claims to have made famous the Paul
Chabas painting, September Morn, through a publicity stunt he stage managed. Supposedly, he saw a print in a Chicago art store window. He made a deal with the store owner who had not sold any of his 2,000 prints.

Reichenbach had hired some boys to “ogle” the picture when he showed it to the moralist crusader Anthony Comstock.
Comstock was suitably outraged when he saw it. Comstock’s Anti-Vice Society took the case to the court and lost. However, the publicity stunt  aroused interest to the painting, which ultimately sold millions of copies.