People in this world love miniatures. Take me for example: Teacup dog breeds? Check. Mini donuts from Starbucks? Check. Babies in tiny tuxedoes? Check. So why should posters be any different?
Well, according to poster artist Jules Cheret, they don’t have to be!
The 1890’s was the peak of the Belle Epoque era, and Jules Cheret was a superstar. He, plus a handful of other artists, became celebrities, their work adorning the streets of some of the biggest cities in the world. Soon enough, people started collecting them; stealing them off the sides of buildings, bribing printers for any spare rolls, writing in to the companies to request extras–people sought these out to decorate their homes.
Cheret saw the opportunity to capitalize on the sensation by creating the Maitres De L’affiche, or the ‘Masters of the Poster.’ 256 in all, the Maitres are a series of small lithographs, each one an image replica of an already-famous commercial poster.
For the first time, with a simple subscription, the public had access to works by some of the best graphic designers to have ever come out of Europe and North America: Cheret, Mucha, Steinlen, Lautrec, Pal, the Beggarstaffs, Livemot…the list going on and on. The subscriptions started in the winter of 1895 resulting in five volumes of unbelievable, small-scale artwork, until the last subscription closed in 1900. Today, the volumes are most often broken up and sold as individual book plates, with most pieces selling for about $500 to $3000 (although there are some select pieces selling for over $10,000).
Volumes I and III, in full tact.
This last summer we were fortunate enough to come across two complete volumes, still bound in cover and spine. The artwork of the cover is unbelievable to see; quintessential Art Nouveau imagery, done in a rich, vivid, and bright blue and green. Wanting to preserve the integrity and historical aspect of the books, Alan decided to sell the volumes whole. Both sold in a matter of weeks!!
Currently, our collection of individual Maitres is about as good as it has ever been! I spent two days going through a stack of them, curating and removing adhesive from the previous dealer. Below is a picture of the aftermath: plate after plate of beautiful, miniature posters, all in excellent shape and with colors for days, perfect for those with limited space, or gallery-wall taste!
Individual book plates, all available at VEP
Wanna learn more about the Maitres de L’affiches? Contact us!
