Poster Art and Mass Culture

The Belle Époque's most democratic art form was the poster. Lithographic printing advances made color posters cheap to produce. They covered every available wall, transforming Paris into an outdoor gallery. Jules Chéret, the "father of the modern poster," created over 1,000 designs, his "Chérettes"—vivacious women advertising everything from soap to champagne—becoming symbols of Belle Époque joie de vivre.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec elevated commercial art to high art. His posters for the Moulin Rouge, capturing dancers like Jane Avril and La Goulue in bold lines and flat colors, made him famous and his subjects infamous. "I paint them as they are," he said of the prostitutes and performers who populated his work. "Neither better nor worse. Simply human."

Théophile Steinlen brought social consciousness to poster art. His advertisements for sterilized milk featured healthy children but also reminded viewers of those who died from contaminated dairy. His famous "Chat Noir" poster made Rodolphe Salis's cabaret world-famous while capturing Montmartre's bohemian spirit.

Women poster artists, though less celebrated, created striking work. Jane Atché's elegant designs advertised theaters and magazines. Marcelle Lender, primarily known as a dancer, designed posters that promoted her own performances. The anonymous women who hand-colored lithographs in printing workshops remained invisible despite their essential contribution to the poster's visual impact.