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
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.
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.
Original Willi’s Wine Bar poster created by Wayne Ensrud in 2000, published in Paris as part of the long-running artist poster series commissioned by Willi’s Wine Bar. Printed by serigraphy on Vélin paper, this first-edition poster was issued in a limited print run of 100 signed copies.
Wayne Ensrud (b. Minnesota, USA) is an American painter and printmaker whose career has spanned several decades. He studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and became the youngest Art Director of the Department of Motion Pictures and Television at the University of California. Ensrud’s work reflects a lifelong engagement with color, composition, and the world of wine, frequently portraying people and places connected to wine culture without compromising his artistic principles or personal style.
Artist: Wayne Ensrud
Date: 2000
Technique: Serigraphy on Vélin paper
Publisher: Willi’s Wine Bar, Paris
Edition: Limited to 100 copies
Dimensions: 27.5 x 39.5 in. (70 x 100 cm)
Signature: Signed in the plate
Condition: Mint (A+)
Notes: First edition; printed in Paris for Willi’s Wine Bar.
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.
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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
Original stone-lithograph plate issued in 1899 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Maîtres de l’Affiche. This plate (no. 197) presents Adolfo Hohenstein’s celebrated poster for the Italian opera Iris, composed by Pietro Mascagni.
Premiered in Rome in 1898, Iris quickly spread to the great opera houses of Europe, admired for Mascagni’s rich score and exotic subject matter. Hohenstein, often called the “father of Italian poster art,” created the striking visual campaign. His design for Iris blends Symbolist and Art Nouveau influences: a graceful female figure radiates light and mystery, surrounded by decorative motifs that suggest both the opera’s dramatic themes and its lush Orientalist setting.
Les Maîtres de l’Affiche (1895–1900) was a prestigious subscription series directed by Jules Chéret, showcasing small-format original lithographs of the era’s most important posters. Printed at the Chaix atelier on fine wove paper and issued with the blindstamp, these plates brought the leading poster artists of Europe to collectors in a refined format.
Title: Iris (opera by Pietro Mascagni)
Artist: Adolfo Hohenstein (1854–1928)
Date: 1899 (Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, plate no. 197)
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
Size: 11.5 × 15.5 inches (approx. 29 × 39 cm)
Print Type: Stone lithograph
Condition: Excellent “A,” near-mint on fine wove paper with blindstamp
Comments: Authentic plate from Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, produced at Chaix under the direction of Jules Chéret. Brilliant impression and vivid color. A rare example of Italian poster design represented in the series, celebrating Hohenstein’s elegant artwork for Mascagni’s Iris.
Eugène Grasset (1845–1917)
Jeanne d’Arc – Sarah Bernhardt, 1899
A richly colored stone lithograph by Eugène Grasset, issued as Plate 174 in Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, the celebrated monthly series published by Jules Chéret at the Imprimerie Chaix in Paris between 1895 and 1900. Subscribers received four plates each month over five years, reproducing the most accomplished poster designs of the Belle Époque in reduced format. The complete series comprised 256 numbered plates created by the foremost artists of the day.
This plate portrays the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt in her celebrated role as Jeanne d’Arc. Grasset, a major figure of the Art Nouveau movement, combines stylized design with spiritual dignity, expressing both Bernhardt’s theatrical power and the idealized purity of the saint.
Details
Original stone lithograph on wove paper
Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
From Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, Plate 174 (1899)
Sheet size: approximately 40 × 29 cm / 15.75 × 11.4 in.
Condition: Excellent; vivid impression on full sheet
Comments
An outstanding example from Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, uniting Grasset’s refined Art Nouveau style with the timeless image of Sarah Bernhardt as France’s national heroine.
PARIS OPERA ROMEO AND JULIETTE BY MARC CHAGALL 1964
Marc Chagall painted the ceiling of the Paris Opera, officially known as the Palais Garnier, in 1963. His work replaced the original design by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu and was unveiled in 1964. The mural spans 2,400 square feet and celebrates famous composers like Mozart, Wagner, and Debussy. Using vivid colors and dreamlike imagery, Chagall created a striking contrast with the opera’s classical architecture. Initially, some critics felt it clashed with the historic setting, but it later became a beloved feature of the opera house.
In 1969, Chagall designed a travel poster for Air France featuring Romeo and Juliet. The artwork shows the lovers floating in an embrace above a colorful landscape, blending fantasy and romance. His deep blues, reds, and yellows create a dreamlike atmosphere, reflecting France’s cultural richness. Today, this poster remains one of the most well-known travel images linked to his work.
Artist: CHAGALL, MARC Printer: MOURLOT IMPRIMERIE Size: 25 x 39″ / 62 x 100 cm On/Off Linen: On Linen Print Technique: stone lithograph Year: 1964 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
PARIS OPERA ROMEO AND JULIETTE BY MARC CHAGALL 1964
Chagall who painted the ceilings of the Paris Opera had this poster take a portion from the ceiling and reproduced it by mourlot a artistic printer who does printing by way of stone lithography rare…
