1950s Chez Maxim’s Paris Sem Panoramic Menu Lithograph

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An extraordinary surviving piece of Parisian cultural and restaurant history, this original Chez Maxim’s de Paris panoramic menu folder dates … Read more An extraordinary surviving piece of Parisian cultural and restaurant history, this original Chez Maxim’s de Paris panoramic menu folder dates to approximately 1959–1963 and features the celebrated illustrations of French artist and caricaturist SEM, the professional name of Georges Goursat (1863–1934).

More than simply a vintage restaurant menu, the piece preserves the visual identity and extraordinary social mythology of Maxim’s de Paris, the legendary restaurant at 3 Rue Royale. Established in the late 19th century, Maxim’s became inseparable from the glamour of Belle Époque Paris and its celebrated Art Nouveau interior. Across generations, the restaurant attracted an international clientele drawn from society, the arts, entertainment and diplomatic circles, becoming one of the most recognizable dining establishments in Paris.

The imagery derives from the work of SEM, whose brilliantly economical line, sophisticated caricature and observant depictions of fashionable society made him one of the defining illustrators of his era. The composition depicts the celebrated interior of Maxim’s populated by a wonderfully theatrical collection of diners, waiters and society figures. Against a largely cream ground, SEM’s fluid black linework is punctuated by beautifully restrained passages of red, orange, gold, pale blue and green. The handwritten names beneath the figures and bold red MAXIM’S lettering complete an image that is unmistakably French.

What makes this particular example especially compelling is that the framed image represents only part of the object.

The original menu survives as a folding panoramic piece. When completely opened, the composition expands dramatically to reveal a much larger continuous scene of Maxim’s interior and additional figures. The unfolded menu remains intact, allowing the object to be appreciated both as framed graphic art and as the original piece of Parisian ephemera it was created to be.

Its presentation was thoughtfully designed around that distinction. Rather than permanently adhering or altering the original menu, a custom archival storage pocket has been incorporated discreetly into the reverse of the frame. The menu can therefore be removed, carefully unfolded to reveal the complete panoramic composition and viewed on both sides before being returned to its protected framed presentation. This is an unusually thoughtful treatment of an ephemeral object, preserving its original function and physical integrity while allowing it to be displayed as art.

The interior of the menu is blank and unused, an especially appealing aspect of its preservation. The paper retains attractive color and the printed image remains remarkably vivid, with strong blacks and beautifully saturated accents. The visible SEM signature and MAXIM’S lettering give the framed composition considerable graphic presence.

The original menu/artwork as presented measures approximately 11 inches wide by 14 inches high. The complete framed presentation measures approximately 16.5 inches wide by 21 inches high. It is surrounded by generous neutral matting with a narrow contrasting inner border and housed in a substantial warm-toned wood frame whose restrained traditional profile complements the period character of the image.

Today, the work functions on several levels at once: as original French restaurant ephemera, as an example of SEM’s celebrated illustration, as a document of the extraordinary cultural history surrounding Maxim’s de Paris, and simply as sophisticated decorative art.

It would be particularly compelling in a dining room, library, study, bar or wine room, as well as in a restaurant, private club or boutique hotel. For a collector of French ephemera, historic menus, Parisian memorabilia, Belle Époque imagery, Art Nouveau culture or French graphic design, its appeal extends considerably beyond its decorative presence.

The fact that the original folding menu remains intact and can still be opened to reveal its panoramic composition gives this example a dimension that a conventional framed print simply does not possess. It remains an artifact as well as an artwork—a wonderfully preserved fragment of the world of Maxim’s de Paris. See less