VOICE NOTE TRANSCRIPT:

Jules Cheret, 1836 to 1932, was the pioneer of color lithography and invented a new way of printing color.
He started his artistic journey at 13 as an apprentice to a lithographer. Surprisingly, he barely had any formal art training, having taken only one formal course at the Ecole Nationale de Dessin in Paris. He moved to London to study photography and design from 1859 to 1866, later moving back to Paris to open his own firm. His firm was originally funded by a perfume manufacturer who loved Cheret’s design. Cheret imported his lithography machines from London as they did not exist in France at the time. 
He was known for his poster designs and prints, often printing his and other artists’ works at his print shop Imprimere Chaix in Paris during the Belle Epoque era. This generation of artists ushered in a more colorful period in printed works. He released a collection of 250 prints called the Les Maitres de l'Affiche. 
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Ch%C3%A9ret

[ 2025-09-03 02:40:20 ]

"Les Maitres de l'Affiche" refers to the series of 256 prints created by Cheret at his Paris print shop "Imprimere Chaix." This is plate 234 in the collection. 

Cabaret of the Arts 

Xavier Privas was a French singer and poet. 

For further reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Privas 

Émile Lassailly was a French composer. 

For further reference: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Émile_Lassailly 

Notice how this woman is portrayed. She is bold and elegant, representing the stereotypical "Cherette" image. 

Cirage Jacquot & Cie means Jaquot and Cie shoe polish. 

Societe generale des cirages francais means general society of french shoe polish. 

Black shoe polish is used here as face paint for a clown. 

This is plate 90 in the collection.

Les Mardis Mercredis Vendredis & Samedis means Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday.

Jardin de Paris means "Garden of Paris."

This is plate 65 in the collection.

 

VOICE NOTE TRANSCRIPT:

His style featured women, known as “cherettes,” at the center of dynamic compositions, framed by bold typography and glowing colors.

He was also known for using bright and glowing colors, something never seen before in color prints at that time. When taken together, his compositions are quite striking. 

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This is plate 17 in a collection of 256 prints. 

VOICE NOTE TRANSCRIPT:

Each of these images in this exhibit feature a unique plate number from Cheret’s collection of 250. Cheret not only published his own designs but those of other artists. 

See this exhibit on Pixeum at:

Palais de Glace means Ice Palace. This was one of the most popular attractions in Belle Epoque Paris. Now the Théâtre du Rond-Point, the space has been used as a theatre since 1981. 

The woman takes the center of the poster, drawing a diagonal line across between the text. 

This is plate 24 in the collection.

VOICE NOTE TRANSCRIPT:

Pall Mall Budget, by Maurice Greiffenhagen, features dynamic and lively typography in homage to Cheret’s style.

His blocky and bold letters catch the viewer’s attention.

Greiffenhagen also features his own version of the cherette, and uses her figure to help frame out the composition, playing heavily into the concepts of negative and positive space. 

See this exhibit on Pixeum at:

Instituto Cartografico Italiano Roma means Italian Cartographic Institute, Rome. 

This is plate 72 in the collection. 

Salon des Cent means Salon of the 100. 

For further reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_des_Cent 

This is plate 10 in the collection. 

VOICE NOTE TRANSCRIPT:

Works such as that by E. Charles Lucas (Image 1) and Georges de Feure (image 7) feature their own take of the “cherette” as created by Jules Cheret.

Notice the young woman portrayed front and center of the composition. They are confident and sure of themselves.   

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Salon des 100 or the Salon of the 100  was a commercial art exhibition, based at 31 Rue Bonaparte. 

The Salon des 100 sold prints, paintings, and other works of art to the public at reasonable prices. 

This is plate 15 in the collection.

Notice the Eiffel Tower in the distance. 

This poster featured here is one of Jules Cheret's works, entitled "Madame Sans-Gene."

The styling of these central figures draws similarities to Cheret's own "cherettes" with their dynamic positions, confident features, and bold colors. 

Le Courrier Francais was illustrated weekly founded and edited by Jules Roques. Known for its satire and sarcasm, it ran from 1884 till 1914. The paper often featured and provoked the public with their prints (by artists such as Cheret himself).

The Courrier Francais was known for holding masked balls and their daring prints encouraged female participants to dress lightly. 

Notice the wash of color in the background, reminiscent of France's flag. 

VOICE NOTE TRANSCRIPT:

Cheret was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1890 for his contributions to the arts. He designed over a thousand posters for different venues and performances. Cheret passed away at the age of 96 in 1932, having retired to the French Riviera in Nice, France.

His works are known throughout the world for portraying the gaiety of the time period and having influenced a new generation of artists, as well as being an influential individual during the Belle Epoque era. 

See this exhibit on Pixeum at: