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Maitres de l’Affiche

1895-1900

These exquisite posters were originally offered as a subscription. From December, 1895 through November 1900, those who subscribed, received 4 Maitres plus a cover sheet every month.

The Maitres de l’Affiche are small, 11 3/8” x 15 ¾ (inches)”. Since they had been pre-paid by subscribers, the printer, Imprimerie Chaix, was able to employ a higher quality of both printing and paper than was generally used for advertising posters. The sheets are numbered on the bottom left corner where the name Imprimerie Chaix also appears. On the bottom right corner, there is an embossed stamp.

Jules Cheret, considered by many to be the “Father of the Poster”, dominated the Maitres de l’Affiche series. He was the director of the Imprimerie Chaix and as director, was free to choose to include as many of his own works as he felt suitable. In all, there were 96 contributing artists, notably the famous Toulouse-Latrec, Denis, Bonnard, Mucha, Grasset, Steinlen and Penfield.

If a person subscribed for the entire year, he also was sent Bonus Plates. There were 16 Bonus Plates in all. Since these plates were not created to advertise anything, the artists who designed them were free to their imaginations. Many consider the Bonus Plates to be the most beautiful of the Maitres de l’Affiche collection. Cheret produced 7, Steinlen, and Willette each produced 2 and Ibels, de Feure, Berthon, Crafty, and Leandre each produced 1.

Their manageable size has made the Maitres de l’Affiche extremely popular. They are attractive when framed alone but can also be framed in groups by artist, style, or subject. Prices of the Maitres de l’Affiche are qucaite reasonable when compared to larger posters from this era.

The artistic influence of the period: L'art Nouveau

By precaution, it is important to mention that not all posters are influenced by the main artistic movement of the period they belong to. Some are inspired by the unique style of the artist, by another art movement, or simply refuse conformism

Art Nouveau is a style of visual arts and architecture that developed in both Europe and North America at the end of the 19TH century. It employs many plant motifs and is characterized by flowing, curvilinear forms. Art Nouveau pieces are highly ornamental and generally are asymmetrical.

It is thought that this Art Period arose in response to the Industrial Revolution. It appears to deplore the shoddiness of mass produced, machine-made objects. Standards of grace and beauty were applied to everyday goods. The Art Nouveau movement was extremely broad in scope. Its principles were applied to building design as well as to all items within the building. Art Nouveau broke the barriers between fine and applied arts. No object was over-looked no matter how utilitarian. The magnificent wrought iron entrances to the Metro in Paris, designed by Hector Guimard are classic example of the Art Nouveau style.