“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (ティファニーで朝食を), Ultra-Rare Original First-Release Japanese B2 “Audrey Hepburn Portrait” Theatrical Poster 1961, B2 Size (c. 51 × 73 cm) (Gallery)

An exceptionally rare original first-release Japanese B2 theatrical poster for Blake Edwards’ enduring 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s / ティファニーで朝食を, starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and Patricia Neal.

Produced for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release on 4 November 1961, this extraordinary country-of-release poster is dominated by one of the defining photographic portraits of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly: wide-brimmed hat, dark-rimmed sunglasses, pearl earrings and vivid red lips set against an immaculate white background.

The portrait—widely credited to Paramount studio photographer Bud Fraker—has become one of the most recognisable images in the history of Hollywood publicity photography. On this original 1961 Japanese theatrical printing, however, it retains the scale, colour and graphic context for which it was originally intended, decades before the image was endlessly reproduced as decorative merchandise.

The Audrey Hepburn Portrait

The upper two-thirds of the poster are devoted almost entirely to Hepburn. Her face emerges from beneath an enormous black hat edged with a wide cream ribbon, creating a sweeping silhouette across the full width of the composition. She playfully holds the earpiece of her sunglasses between her teeth while looking beyond the frame with the poised, slightly mischievous expression that came to define Holly Golightly.

Her accessories are as important as the portrait itself. The distinctive dark tortoiseshell-style sunglasses are the celebrated “Manhattan” design by Oliver Goldsmith, part of the film’s transformation of eyewear from a practical object into a statement of modern fashion. The black-and-pearl earrings, sleeveless black dress and monumental hat complete a look that is immediately identifiable with Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The sheer scale of the portrait gives this Japanese B2 an impact quite unlike the illustrated Robert McGinnis campaign used in many Western markets. There is no crowded character montage and almost no narrative detail in the upper field. The design relies instead upon Hepburn’s image, using her face, fashion and personality as the film’s principal visual language.

Japanese Typography and Design

Across the top, an elegant line of orange Japanese copy reads:

「輝やく宝石のよう…華麗に待たれる珠玉の名篇!!」

A natural translation would be:

“Like a glittering jewel… the eagerly awaited, magnificent masterpiece!”

The language associates Hepburn directly with the brilliance, refinement and desirability of a precious gemstone—a particularly effective piece of Japanese advertising copy for a film centred upon Tiffany & Co.

A narrow white-and-navy band divides the portrait from the lower title block. It carries AUDREY HEPBURN, the original English BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S logo and the Jurow–Shepherd production credit.

Below, the enormous Japanese title 「ティファニーで朝食を」 is printed in pale turquoise against a deep purple field, while the lower portion shifts into brilliant magenta and red. This bold colour blocking gives the poster a strikingly modern graphic quality and places it firmly within the most sophisticated Japanese advertising design of the early 1960s.

The blue period inscription 「総天然色」—“Full Natural Colour”—promotes the film’s Technicolor presentation, while the lower-right corner retains the original Paramount distribution emblem and complete Japanese theatrical markings.

A small photographic inset shows Holly and Paul Varjak embracing in the rain during the film’s romantic conclusion. This compact narrative image provides a deliberate counterpoint to the monumental publicity portrait above: the upper section sells Hepburn as a fashion icon, while the inset promises the emotional romance at the centre of the film.

Fashion and the Hepburn–Givenchy Legacy

The Japanese credit block gives unusually prominent billing to both Edith Head, identified as costume supervisor, and Hubert de Givenchy, credited for Hepburn’s costume design. Their inclusion reflects how central the wardrobe was to the film’s original promotion.

Hepburn and Givenchy had already collaborated on Sabrina and Funny Face, but Breakfast at Tiffany’s permanently joined their names in popular culture. The film’s opening image of Holly standing before the Tiffany & Co. windows in a black Givenchy evening gown, pearls and long gloves became one of the defining fashion moments in cinema.

The black dress, sculptural hat and Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses helped establish the visual vocabulary through which Holly Golightly is still recognised. Their influence extended far beyond the film, reinforcing the little black dress as an enduring symbol of restrained elegance and transforming Hepburn into one of the central international style figures of the twentieth century.

This poster is particularly desirable because it does not merely reproduce those associations retrospectively: it is an original theatrical object from the exact moment that the Hepburn–Givenchy image entered global visual culture.

The Film and “Moon River”

Directed by Blake Edwards from George Axelrod’s adaptation of Truman Capote’s 1958 novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s follows the relationship between Holly Golightly, an elusive New York socialite, and Paul Varjak, the struggling writer who moves into her apartment building.

The film reshaped the darker and more ambiguous qualities of Capote’s original story into a sophisticated romantic comedy, with Hepburn giving Holly a combination of elegance, vulnerability, humour and emotional uncertainty. The performance became one of the actress’s most celebrated roles and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Henry Mancini’s music is equally inseparable from the film’s legacy. Breakfast at Tiffany’s received five Academy Award nominations and won two:

• Best Music Score — Henry Mancini
• Best Original Song — “Moon River,” music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Hepburn’s quiet performance of “Moon River” on the apartment fire escape became one of the film’s most intimate and enduring moments. The song has since been recognised as one of the greatest in American cinema, while the film itself remains ranked among Hollywood’s defining screen romances.

Rarity and Collector Significance

Original Japanese B2 posters from the film’s 1961 first release are exceptionally scarce. They should not be confused with the significantly later Japanese revival (1969) and retrospective posters produced during the 1980s, 1990s and subsequent digital-restoration campaigns.

This is the genuine first-release Paramount printing, identifiable through its period Japanese tagline, original colour-treatment, 「総天然色」 inscription, Jurow–Shepherd credit line, contemporary Japanese cast and production credits, and original Paramount theatrical branding.

Japanese B2 posters were working cinema materials, created for temporary display rather than sale to the public. Most were pinned, folded, damaged through repeated handling or discarded once the engagement ended. The extensive white background of this particular design also made it especially vulnerable to staining, toning and visible surface wear.

The survival of an original example with its edges intact, portrait unfaded and brilliant purple, turquoise and magenta lower section so well preserved is remarkable. It is among the most desirable Japanese Audrey Hepburn poster designs and an important object at the intersection of cinema, fashion, photography and postwar Japanese graphic design.

Condition

Excellent+ condition. For an original theatrical poster printed more than six decades ago, this example has survived extraordinarily well.

The photographic portrait remains beautifully saturated, with rich skin tones, strong black in the hat and dress, vivid red lips and excellent definition throughout Hepburn’s face and accessories. The turquoise Japanese typography and deep purple and magenta lower fields remain exceptionally bright, with no noticeable overall fading.

There are very light handling creases visible across the portrait and white field, together with minor soft creasing near the edges and corners. These are most apparent under close inspection or raking light and do not materially detract from the poster’s exceptional visual presentation. There are no conventional distribution fold lines.

The reverse displays light age-related toning, scattered faint storage marks and corresponding handling creases. There are no significant tears, pinholes, areas of paper loss, writing, tape repairs or restoration apparent. The poster remains unbacked and in its original state.

The poster displays magnificently as it is. Once professionally framed, it will form an exceptional museum-grade presentation of one of the most famous images of Audrey Hepburn and one of the defining intersections of twentieth-century cinema and fashion.

Please examine all accompanying photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster offered for sale, including detailed views of the front and reverse.

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the film’s first Japanese release in 1961.

It is not a reproduction or later re-release poster.

It is over 65 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.