1889 Original Vintage French Jules Cheret Poster, Job Calendar

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This calendar designed by Jules Cheret was printed by Chaix (the same printer of the Maitres de L'Affiches series) and … Read more This calendar designed by Jules Cheret was printed by Chaix (the same printer of the Maitres de L'Affiches series) and dates from 1889. The whole calendar measures 12 x 17.75 inches (with a hole at the center top for it to be hung as was traditional) while the image measures 8.5 x 14.25 inches. It features a typical Cherette - the female image for which Cheret was well known - a woman flaunting her sexuality and her elan (and smoking!). Cheret often put his women in yellow to show off their style, as well as his ease with printing...

About the Artist: Jules Cheret was born in Paris on May 31, 1836, into a family of artisans. Since the family had little money, his formal education ended at the age of 13 when his family could no longer afford to keep him in school. His father, a typographer, placed him in a three-year apprenticeship with a lithographer.

He studied lithography, which was, at that time, a new and economical method of reproducing colored designs. His research into this revolutionary process took him to London where he remained until 1866. He then returned to Paris and set up his shop where he began printing theatrical posters in a remarkably innovative way. Chéret used these lithographic techniques to create lively, mobile images. His sense of design, his free-hand style, and his ability to smoothly incorporate written messages into his pictures were skills that combined to produce posters that attracted immediate attention and interest.

Like Toulouse-Lautrec after him, Chéret was influenced by the Post-Impressionists and by Japanese prints. He used more detail and depicted inviting, unframed scenes of figures caught in mid-action. His posters contained an unusually large amount of lettering, which brought the advertising component of his designs into prominence. His principles of good poster design influenced Toulouse-Lautrec and paved the way for many other poster artists of the day. Although rather bold in style at the turn of the century, Chéret later returned to a milder, more impressionistic treatment of his subjects. Considered the father of the modern poster, he revolutionized the field of advertising for his contributions in design and printing techniques, designing over 1000 posters. See less