In Paris With Jules Cheret, Belle Epoch Poster Master

By Stephen J. Gertz

CHERET, Jules. KOLA MARQUE.
Paris: 1895. Printed by Chaix.

Tomorrow, Thursday, July 12, 2012, Bloomsbury Auctions in London is offering a selection of rare posters by Jules Cheret in its Old Masters To 20th Century Prints And Vintage Posters sale.

CHERET, Jules. ELDORADO.
Paris: 1895. Printed by Chaix.

Cheret (1836-1932) began his apprenticeship with a lithographer in Paris when he was only thirteen. From age twenty-three through thirty he gained further training in lithography in London.

CHERET, Jules. PASTILLES GERAUDEL.
Paris: 1891. Printed by Chaix.

When he returned to France he began designing poster advertisements for music halls, cabarets, and theaters, each capturing the gaiety of Parisian life. He was soon in such demand that he broadened his clientele to include municipal festivals, touring troupes, beverages and liquors, soaps, perfumes, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. 

CHERET, Jules. PASTILLES PONCELET.
Paris: 1896. Printed by Chaix.

His joie de vie women became known as "Cherettes," and Cheret can be viewed as a champion  of womens liberation.

CHERET, Jules. PIPPERMINT.
Paris: 1895. Printed by Chaix.

Woman had previously been depicted as either in purity or as whores. Cheret changed that, freeing women from those corsets and allowing them to enjoy what was becoming a freer, open society. Ladies fashions became less confining and concealing, and women began to engage in behavior once thought the exclusive province of men while establishing just what it meant to be a modern woman on the cusp of a new century. The Cherettes were emblematic of the cultural shift.

CHERET, Jules. SAXOLEINE.
Paris: 1896. Printed by Chaix.

 Perhaps Cheret's lasting contribution to the history of graphic design and as father of poster art was his creation, in 1895, of the Maîtres de l'Affiche (Poster Masters) collection, which published smaller-sized reproductions of the best work by ninety-seven Parisian artists, including Toulouse-Lautrec and Steinlen. By this one act he introduced a new generation of poster designers to a broad audience. The series has become quite popular and collectible.

CHERET, Jules. TAVERNE OLYMPIA.
Paris: 1895. Printed by Chaix.

But if you can afford it go for the originals.

Even before he published Maîtres de l'Affiche Cheret's place in French art was secure. In 1890 he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his outstanding contributions to the graphic arts.

CHERET, Jules. VIN MARIANI.
Paris: 1895. Printed by Chaix.

I now pause for a refreshing one-two party-punch of Kola Marque and Vin Mariani, the popular 19th century tonics fortified with cocaine to reinvigorate my physical and intellectual forces and remedy  a bout of gout. I'll then clean the house, do the laundry, fix the car, build a second home, dance a jig, and write a novel before lunchtime.

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Images courtesy of Bloomsbury Auctions, with our thanks.
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