Les Maîtres de l’Affiche
GOLDMARK 2010
volume 2
19th century fin de siècle Paris was decorated with giant posters created by many of the greatest artists of the day. Such was their popularity that artist-publisher Jules Chéret issued perfect miniature versions which were avidly collected. It is these which are offered here. Many of the original posters change hands at £50,000 plus. Some of these miniatures by artists such as Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec often make figures of over £5,000. We are delighted to be able to offer these 19th century originals at prices from £300 to £3,000 (framed and delivered as always).
To order phone 01572 821424 visit www.maitresdelaffiche.co.uk
Jules Chéret
Les Maîtres de l’Affiche Masters of the Poster
Some of the most enduring images of fin de siècle Paris are the colourful posters emblazoned on boulevard hoardings, café walls and colonnes Morris, the ubiquitous advertising rotundas. Consumer art had never before been so appealing, as posters for cabarets, alcohol, music halls, perfumes and operas turned Paris streets into a riotous art gallery. Although many leading artists quickly recognised the attractions the poster medium offered for their work - one only has to think of Lautrec and Mucha - it was one man who pioneered the movement. Jules Chéret (1836-1932) can quite rightly be called the father of the modern poster and in reality should take his place in the pantheon of what we now call graphic designers, standing alongside those who followed much later and were more well-known: Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Alan Fletcher, Paul Rand. Not only was Chéret a formidable commercial artist, his three-stone lithographic process meant that designers could see their work reproduced in vivid colour. He acted as the creative director at the Imprimerie Chaix where, such was the popularity of the posters, over-runs were sold as collectors’ items:
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1. STEINLEN Motocycles Comiot 31.6 x 23 cm £1500
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giant pieces of art, but virtually impossible to display unless one had the advantage of a high ceilinged salon. How could you enjoy such art when it had to be kept rolled up or laid flat in a plan chest? The answer came in the form of Les Maîtres de l’Affiche. Every month, from December 1895 to November 1900, subscribers received by post from Librairie Chaix four reduced reproductions of the posters, loose sheets that cost 2.50 francs for one month, 27 francs for a year’s worth. Not only were they far more manageable than the large original street posters, the images were superior in quality because of the more refined lithographic process used and the paper stock. The size (approximately 39 x 30cms) also meant that they could be displayed properly with a broad margin around each image. The size also brought far more flexibility in display, as consistency in the trimmed size meant that infinite variations of grouping could be achieved - by artist, design or subject. Jules Chéret naturally made sure his work came to the fore in the series; one in every four posters sent out was one of his. But just a glance through this first Les Maîtres de l’Affiche catalogue will show just how broad the appeal of other superb designers was, and how the series was not restricted to Paris or indeed France. A Beggarstaff Brothers Hamlet and Maxfield Parrish’s The Century Magazine rub lithographic shoulders with Mucha’s Lorenzaccio and ToulouseLautrec’s La Goulue. The drawing, design, colours and wonderfully evocative lettering make these truly outstanding additions to anyone interested in commercial posters, belle époque Paris or just truly masterful artwork and printing. Each plate is printed with the Imprimerie Chaix number and marked with their blind-embossed stamp.
To order phone 01572 821424 [3]
2. BROTHERS BEGGARSTAFF Corn Flour Kassama 33.5 x 22.8 cm £450
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3. FERNEL Chicorée Bonne Cafetière 35.6 x 20.6 cm £450
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4. DUDLEY HARDY Abbotts Phit-Eesi 33 x 23 cm £450
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5. BROTHERS BEGGARSTAFF A Trip to China Town 29.5 x 23 cm £450
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6. STEINLEN Lait pur Stérilisé de la Vingeanne 31.5 x 23 cm £1500
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7. GUILLAUME Armour & Co 31.3 x 23 cm £350 9. LUCIEN LEFÈVRE Cirage Jacquot 32.5 x 23 cm £350
8. MOREAU-NÉLATON Exposition de la Céramique 31.5 x 23 cm £350 10. JULES CHÉRET Théâtre de l'Opéra 31.5 x 23 cm £375
Jules Chéret, the artist-director of the printing house, was the father of this artistic genre. For his role in launching the golden age of the poster, he was awarded Légion d’Honneur.
To order phone 01572 821424 visit www.maitresdelaffiche.co.uk
11. ALPHONSE MUCHA Bières de la Meuse 32.2 x 21.5 cm £3000
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12. MISTI Cycles Gladiator 34 x 23 cm £550
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13. EUGÈNE GRASSET Jeanne d'Arc 34.5 x 22.2 cm £450
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14. G. BOANO Théâtre Royal de Turin 32 x 22.7 cm £450
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15. ARPAD BASCH Maison Kühnee 22.5 x 36 cm £350 16. GEORGES FAY Syndicat Central des Agriculteurs de France 23 x 31.5 cm £450 [15]
17. LORANT - HEILBRONN ET V. GUILLET Messaline 36.5 x 15.3 cm £650
18. A. DE RIQUER Maison Napoléon 36 x 15 cm £650
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19. ALPHONSE MUCHA XXme Exposition du Salon des Cent 33.3 x 23.5 cm £2750
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20. STEINLEN Compagnie Française 30.6 x 23 cm £500 22. H. GERBAULT Chocolat Carpentier 31.3 x 23 cm £350
21. BEGGARSTAFF Rowntree's Elect Coca 30 x 22.5 cm £375 23. CARAN D'ACHE Exposition Russe 35.5 x 23 cm £350
24. BROTHERS BEGGARSTAFF Don Quixote 25.5 x 24.7 cm £550
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25. WILL BRADLEY When Hearts are Trumps. By Tom Hall 28 x 23 cm £450
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26. PRIVAT-LIVEMONT Casino de Cabourg 22 x 31.5 cm £375 27. FORAIN Salon du Cycle 18.5 x 37.5 cm £300 [21]
The last ten years of the 19th century were the golden age of the poster, when the streets of Paris were decorated as if for a fĂŞte by the coloured lithographs from the hands of some of the finest artists of the age.
To order phone 01572 821424 visit www.maitresdelaffiche.co.uk
28. ALPHONSE MUCHA La Samaritaine 37 x 13.5 cm £3000
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29. PAUL BERTHON l'Ermitage 32.5 x 22 cm £1500 Featured on the front cover of ‘The Complete Masters of the Poster’
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30. JULES CHÉRET Le Miroir 31.5 x 22.3 cm £400 32. JULES CHÉRET Taverne Olympia 33 x 23.5 cm £375
31. JULES CHÉRET l'Hippodrome de la Porte-Maillot 32.5 x 23 cm £300 33. H. THOMAS l'Éclair 31 x 23 cm £300
34. BRADLEY Victor Bicycles 23 x 33.5 cm £450 36. DUDLEY HARDY The J.P. 35. HENRI MEUNIER Savon Starlight 33 x 22.5 cm £350 37 x 19 cm £450
37. LOUIS RHEAD The Sun 35 x 22.6 cm £500
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38. LÉO GAUSSON Lessive Figaro 29 x 19.5 cm £350
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39. H. CASSIERS Red Star Line 35 x 23 cm £400
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40. FERNAND TOUSSAINT Le Sillon 29.5 x 23.1 cm £750
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41. RASSENFOSSE Tournoi de Lutte 32 x 24 cm £350 43. MISS M. L. STOWELL The Old Book Man 34.5 x 22.7 cm £350
42. REISNER Maison de Bijouterie 35.5 x 22.5 cm £550 44. DE FEURE Journal des Ventes 33 x 22.6 cm £300
45. MORROW The New Woman 34 x 25.4 cm £350
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19th century fin de siècle Paris was decorated with giant posters created by many of the greatest artists of the day. Such was their popularity that artist-publisher Jules Chéret issued perfect miniature versions which were avidly collected. It is these which are offered here. Many of the original posters change hands at £50,000 plus. Some of these miniatures by artists such as Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec often make figures of over £5,000. We are delighted to be able to offer these 19th century originals at prices from £300 to £3,000 (framed and delivered as always).
To order phone 01572 821424 visit www.maitresdelaffiche.co.uk
46. HUGO D'ALÉSI Venise 32 x 22.5 cm £350
47. VAN CASPEL Maison W. Hoogenstraaten et Co 33.5 x 22.5 cm ÂŁ350
GOLDMARK GALLERY UPPINGHAM RUTLAND LE15 9SQ Open Monday to Saturday 9.30 - 5.30, Sunday 2.30 - 5.30 and Bank Holidays www.goldmarkart.com info@goldmarkart.com www.maitresdelaffiche.co.uk
01572 821424