20c Exposition du Salon des Cent

Although many leading artists quickly recognised the attractions the poster medium offered for their work, it was one man who pioneered the movement. Jules Chéret (1836-1932) can quite rightly be called the father of the modern poster. Not only was Chéret a formidable commercial artist, his three-stone lithographic process meant that designers could see their work reproduced in vivid colour.

Chéret began the idea of Les Maîtres de l’Affiche (Masters of the Poster). Every month, from December 1895 to November 1900, subscribers received by post from Librairie Chaix four reduced, loose sheet reproductions of the artists’ posters. Not only were they far more manageable than the large original street posters, the images were superior in quality because of the refined lithographic process used.