Frescos for the masses
The critic Roger Marx praised the decorative effect of the coloured posters in the grey Parisian streets.
He also admired the social impact of artistic posters — with their simple messages and modern imagery, these prints functioned as ‘frescoes’ for the crowd.
Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen expressed this idea in his poster La Rue, the immense size and two-dimensional visual syntax of which are indeed reminiscent of a fresco.
By depicting the different social classes together in the street, he emphasised the idea that posters were accessible to everyone.
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, The Street (La rue), poster for the printer Charles Verneau, 1896
Posters for collectors
At the same time, posters were admired as high art by artists, critics, and collectors.
At first, Aficionados had no choice but to peel their posters off the walls in the street. It did not take long, however, for shrewd dealers like Edmond Sagot to develop a flourishing trade in these desired works.
The craze for posters grew steadily into what was soon termed affichomanie or 'poster-mania.'
Henri Gabriel Ibels, Salon des Cent, 1894
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, Poster for the tour of Le Chat Noir, 1896
Further reading
- Roger Marx, ‘Preface’, Les Maîtres de l’affiche [contenant les reproductions des plus belles affiches illustrees des grands artistes, français et étrangèrs], Volume I-V, Paris 1896—1900
- Marie-Jeanne Geyer, Le Salon de la rue: L'affiche illustrée de 1890 à 1910, Strasbourg (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg) 2008
- Ruth Iskin, The Poster: Art, Advertising, Design, and Collecting, 1860s—1900s, Lebanon 2014