Antique Theatre d’Arles by Leo Lelee c1930 lithograph
Antique Théâtre d’Arles
Artist: Léon (Leo) Lellée
Date: c. 1930
Printer: PLM, Paris
Size: 25 × 39 in. (64 × 99 cm)
Print Type: Lithograph
Condition: Excellent “A” on linen
Comments:
Original vintage French travel poster by Léon Lellée for the PLM railway, c. 1930. The subject is the Roman Théâtre Antique in Arles, with its remaining Corinthian columns. The theatre was built in the 1st century BCE and is one of the oldest stone theatres in Roman Gaul. It continues to serve as a site for performances and cultural events.
Lellée (1882–1947) was a French painter and illustrator known for his regional subjects of Provence, where he lived and worked. He produced a number of posters for the PLM (Paris–Lyon–Méditerranée) railway company during the interwar period, promoting travel to the south of France. This lithograph highlights the enduring Roman heritage of Arles as a destination.
Comments The theater was built during the reign of Emperor Augustus, between 27 BC and AD 14O. One of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this monumental theater is famous for its acoustics and its massive scenic wall. It hosts the Chorégies d’Orange, an opera and classical music festival, each summer.
This poster was created for the PLM or Paris Lyon Mediterrannee French Railways for display in travel bureaus and train stations in the 1930 period. The poster is in absolute impeccable condition on linen
Artist: Cheret Printer: Chaix Imprimerie, Paris Size: 8.5 x 11.8 in / 21.5 x 30 cm On/Off Linen: Unlined Year: 1896 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
Les Affiches Illustrees was created by Jules Cheret at the Chaix imprimerie to celebrate the famous poster artists and their works of the time. Poster collecting was the rage between 1895 and 1900 and Cheret made sure to supply the public with all the images of a selection of the best posters of the time. The printing was by way of Stone lithgoraphy and great attention was paid to quality. In Excellent condition
Lithographic plate reproducing the poster design Buffoni by Leopoldo Metlicovitz, issued as part of the well-known Ricordi Portfolio. This series presented a selection of important poster designs printed by the Ricordi publishing house during the height of the Italian poster movement between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The portfolio gathered together small-format reproductions of these works and was distributed internationally in the early twentieth century.
Casa Ricordi of Milan, originally a music publisher closely associated with the Italian opera world, developed a major lithographic printing workshop in the late nineteenth century. Through its printing department the firm produced posters for music, theatre, and commercial clients and became a central force in the development of the Italian poster. The artists working with Ricordi helped define the Italian version of Art Nouveau, often referred to as Stile Liberty.
Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868–1944) was one of the principal designers associated with Ricordi. His posters and illustrations are recognized for their elegant compositions and refined color work, and he contributed numerous designs for theatre, publishing, and advertising.
Artist: Metlicovitz, Leopoldo
Title: Buffoni (Ricordi Portfolio plate)
Printer / Publisher: Ricordi, Milan
Size: 10 x 14 inches / 25 x 36 cm
On / Off Linen: Unlined
Print Technique: Lithograph
Year: c.1910
Condition & Comments: Excellent condition. Plate from the Ricordi portfolio series presenting reduced lithographic versions of notable Italian posters from the Ricordi workshop.
Cigale, Theatre de l’Opera-Comique
Artist: Maurice Leloir
Date: 1904
In this elegant 1904 poster for the French ballet Cigale, artist Maurice Leloir captures the frigid fate of one of the story’s central figures with remarkable sensitivity. The ballet, written by Henri Cain and set to music by the celebrated composer Jules Massenet, was performed at the Théâtre de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris. Leloir’s lithograph was printed by Imp. Devambez, one of the foremost Parisian art printers of the early 20th century. The poster announced the première of Massenet’s Cigale—a divertissement-ballet evoking the poetic melancholy and grace typical of fin-de-siècle French theater.
Details
Artist: Maurice Leloir
Title: Cigale – Divertissement-Ballet de Henri Cain. Musique de J. Massenet
Date: 1904
Printer: Imp. Devambez, Paris
Theater: Théâtre de l’Opéra-Comique, Paris
Size: 35 × 22 ¼ in (90 × 56 cm)
Print Type: Stone Lithograph
Condition: Nice Condition overall
Comments: Poster for the première of Jules Massenet’s Cigale, composed by one of the most popular French composers of his time.
GERMANIA – ADOLFO HOHENSTEIN — RICORDI PORTFOLIO — c.1910
Lithographic plate reproducing the poster design Germania by Adolfo Hohenstein, issued as part of the well-known Ricordi Portfolio. This series presented a selection of important poster designs printed by the Ricordi publishing house during the height of the Italian poster movement between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The portfolio gathered together small-format reproductions of these works and was distributed internationally in the early twentieth century.
Casa Ricordi of Milan, originally a music publisher closely associated with the Italian opera world, developed a major lithographic printing workshop in the late nineteenth century. Through its printing department the firm produced posters for music, theatre, and commercial clients and became a central force in the development of the Italian poster. The artists working with Ricordi helped define the Italian version of Art Nouveau, often referred to as Stile Liberty.
Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868–1944) was one of the principal designers associated with Ricordi. His posters and illustrations are recognized for their elegant compositions and refined color work, and he contributed numerous designs for theatre, publishing, and advertising.
Artist: Adolfo Hohenstein
Title: Germania (Ricordi Portfolio plate)
Printer / Publisher: Ricordi, Milan
Size: 10 x 14 inches / 25 x 36 cm
On / Off Linen: Unlined
Print Technique: Lithograph
Year: c.1910
Condition & Comments: Excellent condition. Plate from the Ricordi portfolio series presenting reduced lithographic versions of notable Italian posters from the Ricordi workshop.
Lithographic plate reproducing the poster design Giulio Marchetti by Leopoldo Metlicovitz, issued as part of the well-known Ricordi Portfolio. This series presented a selection of important poster designs printed by the Ricordi publishing house during the height of the Italian poster movement between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The portfolio gathered together small-format reproductions of these works and was distributed internationally in the early twentieth century.
Casa Ricordi of Milan, originally a music publisher closely associated with the Italian opera world, developed a major lithographic printing workshop in the late nineteenth century. Through its printing department the firm produced posters for music, theatre, and commercial clients and became a central force in the development of the Italian poster. The artists working with Ricordi helped define the Italian version of Art Nouveau, often referred to as Stile Liberty.
Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868–1944) was one of the principal designers associated with Ricordi. His posters and illustrations are recognized for their elegant compositions and refined color work, and he contributed numerous designs for theatre, publishing, and advertising.
Artist: Metlicovitz, Leopoldo
Title: Giulio Marchetti (Ricordi Portfolio plate)
Printer / Publisher: Ricordi, Milan
Size: 10 x 14 inches / 25 x 36 cm
On / Off Linen: Unlined
Print Technique: Lithograph
Year: c.1910
Condition & Comments: Excellent condition. Plate from the Ricordi portfolio series presenting reduced lithographic versions of notable Italian posters from the Ricordi workshop.
JANE AVRIL – JARDIN DE PARIS — Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Original stone-lithograph plate printed circa 1896 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Illustrées. This reduced-format lithograph reproduces Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s famous poster of Jane Avril, one of Montmartre’s most celebrated dancers, created to advertise her performances at the Jardin de Paris.
Jane Avril (1868–1943), a close friend and muse of Lautrec, became an icon of Parisian nightlife through her eccentric, serpentine style of dance. Lautrec’s posters of her are among his most enduring works, capturing both her elegance and her unconventional energy. In this design, Avril dominates the composition, her figure twisting in rhythm, while the bold curves and flat colors reflect Lautrec’s revolutionary approach to poster art.
Les Affiches Illustrées (1896–1899) was among the first journals dedicated to poster art, issued in small runs for collectors. Produced at the Chaix atelier, each plate was a stone-lithograph reduction of an important affiche, printed on fine paper for subscribers. These editions gave collectors authentic examples of the finest Belle Époque posters in a smaller, more practical format than the large affiches pasted on Paris walls.
Title: Jane Avril – Jardin de Paris
Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
Date: c.1896 (after the original 1893 poster)
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris (Les Affiches Illustrées)
Size: 21.5 × 30 cm (approx. 8.5 × 11.8 in)
Print Type: Stone lithograph
Condition: Excellent “A,” near-mint on fine wove paper
Comments: Authentic plate from Les Affiches Illustrées, produced at Chaix. Crisp impression with strong colors. One of Lautrec’s most iconic poster designs, immortalizing Jane Avril and the artistic vibrancy of fin-de-siècle Paris.
VENISE — OPERETTE EN 3 ACTES — CHARLES GIR — c.1927
Original French poster advertising the operetta Venise, performed at the Theatre Marigny in Paris. The operetta was written in three acts with music by Tiarko Richepin, libretto by Andre Mouezy Eon, and lyrics by Albert Willemetz. The design by Charles Gir presents an elegant Art Deco theatrical composition promoting the production.
Charles Gir (Charles Felix Girard, 1883–1941) was an illustrator, poster artist, painter, and caricaturist active in Paris during the early twentieth century. Closely associated with the theatrical and cultural life of the city, he produced posters for stage productions and illustrated literary works, while also contributing cartoons and caricatures to satirical publications such as La Baionnette and Le Rire. Gir was also known as a violinist and maintained a strong interest in opera and theater, which is reflected in many of his poster designs.
Artist: Gir, Charles
Title: Venise – Operette en 3 actes
Printer: H. Chachoin, Paris
Publisher: Max Eschig et Cie, Paris
Size: 31 x 46 inches
On / Off Linen: On linen
Print Technique: Lithograph
Year: c.1927
Condition & Comments: A condition. Signed in the plate and dated lower left.
Published in 1898 for the Paris art journal L’Estampe Moderne, this original stone lithograph by Henri-Gabriel Ibels portrays a theatrical pantomime scene, a subject closely tied to Ibels’ lifelong interest in popular entertainment and Parisian street culture. A founding member of the Nabis group and associate of Bonnard and Vuillard, Ibels combined simplified color areas and strong outlines to convey the expressive rhythm of modern life. Printed by F. Champenois and published by Masson & Piazza, the work bears the blind stamp of L’Estampe Moderne in the lower margin.
Details
Title: Pantomime
Artist: Henri-Gabriel Ibels (French, 1867–1936)
Date: 1898
Printer: F. Champenois, Paris
Publisher: Masson & Piazza
Series: L’Estampe Moderne
Print Type: Original stone lithograph
Size: 12 × 16 inches (31 × 41 cm)
Condition: Excellent; strong impression with light age toning consistent with the series
Comments: Issued as part of the L’Estampe Moderne portfolio (1897–1899), which featured monthly color lithographs by leading artists of the period.
Artist: Mignot Printer: Chaix Imprimerie, Paris Size: 9 x 12.5″ / 22.8 x 30.5 cm On/Off Linen: Unlined Year: 1896 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
Kermesse by Mignot for Les Affiches Etrangeres 1894
Les Affiches etrangere was created by Jules Cheret at the Chaix imprimerie to celebrate the famous poster artists and their works of the time. Poster collecting was the rage between 1895 and 1900 and Cheret made sure to supply the public with all the images of a selection of the best posters of the time. The printing was by way of Stone lithgoraphy and great attention was paid to quality. In Excellent condition
A graceful lithograph from L’Estampe Moderne series showing a ballerina backstage, poised delicately en pointe in her white tutu as she awaits her turn to dance. The work captures Henri Boutet’s refined sensitivity to gesture and atmosphere—his reputation as “le peintre de la femme” (the painter of women) is evident in this quiet, expectant moment. Published in 1897 by Imprimerie Champenois in Paris, this print was issued by monthly subscription, four plates delivered by post to collectors throughout Europe. Each carried the embossed L’Estampe Moderne blind stamp and exemplified the high quality of French lithography at the close of the century.
This example is in excellent condition, unlined, with fine color and impression. The one shown is representative; all available editions are identical in design and quality, differing only by printed number and month of issue.
⸻
Details
Artist: Henri Boutet
Title: Dans les Coulisses
Date: 1897
Printer: Imprimerie Champenois, Paris
Series: L’Estampe Moderne
Size: 12 × 16 in / 30.5 × 40.6 cm
Print Type: Original Lithograph
On/Off Linen: Unlined
Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
