Jules Chéret1895 original poster by Jules Chéret - Palais de Glace on the Champs-Élysées1895
1895
About the Item
- Creator:Jules Chéret (1836 - 1932, French)
- Creation Year:1895
- Dimensions:Height: 23.63 in (60 cm)Width: 16.15 in (41 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:Good condition, traces of folds, slight dirt, on linen.
- Gallery Location:PARIS, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1792214330172
Jules Chéret
Once upon a belle époque, Jules Chéret and his posters were the toast of Paris. It was the Art Nouveau era, a time when works like those created by Chéret were key to the fabric of the cosmopolitan thoroughfare in the French capital. Today, this extraordinary artist and printer is little known.
It was Chéret who transformed the street advert into the most expressive and coveted art form of the late 1800s. Think: a red-headed belle in a flimsy yellow dress, frolicking through a field of blue as she pours a glass of “tonic wine,” with the brand name Vin Mariani wafting about her.
Through his bold advances in chromolithography and the graphic arts, Chéret and the younger talents he inspired — like Pierre Bonnard, Alphonse Mucha and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — along with other artists, turned the stone-gray streets of Paris into a kaleidoscopic, ever-changing urban spectacle.
Raised in a family of poor Parisian artisans, Jules Chéret was apprenticed to a lithographer at 13. Although he took a class at the École nationale de dessin, as an artist, he was largely self-taught, schooling himself in art history and technique by visiting remarkable works at museums. When his first solo poster designs failed to garner further commissions, Chéret, then 23, relocated to London, where colorful but text-heavy posters enlivened the streets.
The move proved pivotal, as he soon found work with the French expat Eugène Rimmel, a visionary businessman and one of the founders of the beauty and healthcare industries. A brilliant marketer, he regularly produced colorful, elegantly illustrated and culturally sophisticated catalogues to publicize House of Rimmel cosmetics and fragrances. These and other promotional ventures kept Chéret busy, while sharpening his understanding of the commercial potential of print.
So, when he learned of the invention of a press that could print large-scale formats inexpensively, Chéret recognized an opportunity to become his own boss. Now 30 years old, he returned to Paris with the financial support of Rimmel to establish his own print shop specializing in jumbo-size street posters and set about forging a fresh, eye-catching approach to their design.
Chéret accelerated the process of chromolithography by adding a stone with a graduated background that scaled in hue from orange to blue. With this, in addition to red- and black-pigmented stones, he could make vibrant posters more quickly and cheaply. In the late 1870s, his acquisition of steam-powered presses further sped up production and dramatically increased the volume of his output.
But perhaps Chéret’s greatest contribution to our world today was a simple insight into an eternal truth: Sex sells. The best way to market a product is to put a pretty, revealingly dressed young woman in the ad. In the 1890s, Chéret put so many to work in this cause that they came to be known as “Chérettes,” a conflation of chérie (“darling”) and Chéret.
Descended from the enchanting mademoiselles in the bucolic painterly confections of Rococo artists like Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, all smiles and femininity, they fused the present with the past, making them potent symbols of a newly affluent and peaceful France.
Find original Jules Chéret posters and prints and other Art Nouveau posters on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: PARIS, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- circa 1925 original travel poster by Simeoni Lago di Garda Riva E.N.I.T.Located in PARIS, FRIn the realm of travel ephemera, Antonio Simeoni's circa 1925 original poster promoting the Lago di Garda and Riva through E.N.I.T. (Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo) emerges a...Category
1920s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Lithograph, Paper
- Original travel poster - Visit Boulogne, the largest French fishing portLocated in PARIS, FRTransport yourself back to the roaring 1920s with the vintage allure of the travel poster enticing you to "Visitez Boulogne, le plus grand port de pêche français" ("Visit Boulogne, t...Category
1820s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- 1920 Original Poster by Henri Villain - Compagnie Algérienne Emprunt NationalLocated in PARIS, FRCrafted in 1920 by the skilled artist Henri Villain, the Compagnie Algérienne Emprunt National poster offers a captivating glimpse into the financial history of the time. Born in 188...Category
1920s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- 1948 original political poster "De Gaulle à Moulins"Located in PARIS, FRThe 1948 political poster "De Gaulle à Moulins" is a historical artifact that encapsulates a crucial moment in French political history. Created durin...Category
1940s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- 1918 original poster 4e Emprunt National Crédit Foncier d'Algérie et de TunisieLocated in PARIS, FRCrafted in 1918, the original poster "Pour le retour Souscrivez 4e Emprunt National Crédit Foncier d'Algérie et de Tunisie" encapsulates the spirit of patriotic duty and financial su...Category
1910s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLithograph, Paper, Linen
- The New York Herald's 1906 Funny Folk CalendarLocated in PARIS, FRThe New York Herald's 1906 Funny Folk Calendar is a delightful time capsule that transports us to a year filled with humor, whimsy, and artistic charm. This...Category
Early 1900s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- Marching on a Butterbur LeafBy Yoshitomo NaraLocated in Washington , DC, DCCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPaper, Linen, Lithograph
- SPA Belgium Nationale Maaatschaapij der Belgische Spoorwegen vintage posterLocated in Spokane, WAOriginal vintage travel poster to SPA, Belgium. Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen original lithograph travel poster. Archival linen backed and ready to frame. The famous town of Spa known for its mineral waters and sparkling water that is sold all over the world. Intense color patterns that compliment each other are shown on a hilltop overlooking green fields and hills in the background. The old full lithographs create the feel of a fine painting as you can personally see in these images. This original vintage Belgium travel poster...Category
1940s Conceptual More Prints
MaterialsLinen, Lithograph
- Chanel No. 5 (suite of four (4) separate prints with varnish on linen backing)By Andy WarholLocated in New York, NYAfter Andy Warhol Chanel No. 5 (Suite of Four Individual (Separate) Prints on Linen Canvas), 1996 Suite of Four (4) Separate Individual Limited Edition Offset lithographs in colors on wove paper affixed to elegant thin linen canvas backing, Each plate signed Andy Warhol 29 inches (vertical) × 22 inches horizontal (measurements here and above are for each print) Limited, special edition printing, exact number is undisclosed Unframed Dimensions apply to each of the four (4) prints in this one lot. “Chanel N˚5,” A special edition, printed under the auspices of the Warhol Foundation...Category
1990s Pop Art Abstract Prints
MaterialsOffset, Lithograph, Linen, Digital, Digital Pigment
- SuperpowersBy Roman CieslewiczLocated in Bristol, CTIconic original parchment linen poster 'Superpowers' c1968 by noted Polish graphic artist Roman Cieslewicz (1930-1996) Poster Sz: 31 1/4"H x 21"W Frame Sz: 32 1/2"H x 22 1/2"W w/ ...Category
1960s Other Art Style Portrait Prints
MaterialsLinen, Parchment Paper
- UntitledBy Sol LeWittLocated in New York, NYSol LeWitt was an iconic American artist whose work helped to establish both Minimalism and Conceptual Art. LeWitt’s practice was based primarily within his own intellect, establishi...Category
1970s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Archival Paper
- Summer Suite BBy Conrad Marca-Relli 1Located in New York, NYThis work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.Category
1970s Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsCanvas, Linen, Paper, Oil