| Availability: | In stock |
Originally meant to advertise a Parisian department store, this proof designed by Jules Chéret in 1891 was instead acquired by Edmund Sagot, the first major poster dealer, and used to promote his own business.
Chéret is known as the "Father of the Poster" for perfecting the large-format printing process that allowed full-color posters to be made cheaply and quickly for commercial advertising. This poster shows an elegantly dressed young woman, a ubiquitous archetype in Chéret's advertisements. These "Chérettes" were a turning point in how women were portrayed in media. Previously women were depicted in art as ancient or allegorical, saint or sinner. Chérettes were shown in contemporary garb and environments, all for the sake of that most modern of activities—purchasing products. These street-facing advertisements became an important part of the urban fabric of Paris and emboldened a new class of women who increasingly wore low-cut bodices and smoked in public.
Laminated bookmark. Measures 8.25 x 2.8 inches.
