Jeanne D'Arc - 1899

VINTAGE FRENCH POSTER - GICLÉE PRINT

This vintage French poster is an example of "Affiche Artistique", advertising Sarah Bernhard's performance in Jeanne D'Arc.   The artist was Eugene Grasset and the poster was published in 1899.

Dimensions:  15.5" x 24"

Artists in the late 1800s found opportunities to present their work to the masses through advertising art that began to appear as billboards and posters, plastering the streets of Paris.  “Affiche Artistique” was the term that the French used to describe a poster that contained artistic expression.  The art was so impressive to the public, people began to collect the posters as soon as they went up, which is why they are so scarce today.  Artists such as Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha, Jules Chéret, Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Pierre Bonnard and Eugène Grasset contributed to the creative body of work that became what some called  “a free museum for the masses”.  The craze for collecting these examples of modern art was even given the name, "affichomanie", meaning “artistic poster mania”.  Collectors today pay hundreds, if not thousands for original prints of these rare posters. 

We offer these exceptional vintage poster reproductions in the highest possible print quality.  Superior to most reproductions currently available on the market, our gallery quality prints are suitable for display in an art gallery or museum.  We begin with an ultra high resolution scan of the original artifact which we leave untouched, leaving intact the slightly distressed vintage character desirable in a collectible piece of this era.  Our state of the art, giclée reproduction process uses the latest technology: microscopic droplets of ink that render such a high resolution, that every minute detail of the original is intact.  Every pen line and brush stroke is visible.  Even very faint pencil lines are also visible due to the incredibly high quality of the reproduction process.  Our 8 color, archival quality inks and giclée printing process provide the most accurate color reproduction & are proven to last over a hundred years. Posters are available printed on museum quality archival paper or on repositionable media that allow you to plaster your walls with the “Affiche Artistique”, just as they were originally intended to be displayed. 

About the artist:

Eugène Grasset
Swiss, 1845-1917 

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland into a family of skilled artisans, Eugène Grasset studied drawing under Swiss artist and teacher Francois-Louis David while still in Lausanne, then traveled to Zurich where he studied architecture.  Grasset visited Egypt after completing his education, an experience that would influence his later work.

Grasset moved to Paris in 1871 and worked as a designer of textiles, ceramics and jewelry, creating decorative pieces that were to become the standard of Art Nouveau motifs.  He discovered commercial opportunities in graphic design, producing postage stamps for France and Switzerland and logo-art that was used by several publishers.  His poster art, however, was most successful, becoming so popular that several American companies commissioned him to design posters.  Grassets' work in America introduced Art Nouveau to the American public, which soon dominated American art.

Eugène Grasset began a teaching career in Paris that was to influence generations of studens, beginning at the École Guérin (1890-1903), and including the École d’Art graphique (1903-1904), the Académie de la Grande Chaumière (1904-1913) and the École Estienne.  The “Grasset” typeface was introduced at the Universal Exhibition of 1900 in Paris, created by Eugène Grasset in 1898.

Eugène Grasset died in Sceaux, southwest of Paris, in 1917.  His art continues to be considered the cornerstone of Art Nouveau style.

Sarah Bernhardt
French, (1844 -1923)

Rosine Bernardt, the woman who was to be introduced as “the most famous actress the world has ever known” began life as the illegitimate child of Jewish mother Julie Bernardt, who worked as a courtesan in Paris.  Sarah Bernhardt added the “H” to her last name and took the name Sarah as her stage name, beginning her acting career in 1862 while a student at Comédie Française.  She traveled to Belgium where she became the mistress of Henri, Prince de Ligne.  Sarah gave birth to the prince’s son, Maurice, in 1864.  Although the prince wanted to marry her, his family was against the union and convinced Sarah to end their relationship. 

Bernhardt began performing at the Théâtre de L’Odéon in 1866.  In 1870, when the Franco-Prussian war began, Sarah is credited with converting the theatre into a makeshift hospital and taking care of wounded soldiers there.  Throughout the 1870’s Bernhardt’s success climbed.  She traveled all over Europe and even to Cuba, where she performed in Matanzas’ Sauto Theater in 1887.

In 1899, Sarah Bernhardt opened the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt on the Place du Châtelet in Paris.  She earned the title “The Divine Sarah” following the premiere of her performance in the title role of “Hamlet”.  The play was four hours long and received rave reviews.

 Bernhardt continued to act and produce plays until her death in 1923.  She starred in eight motion pictures including the film of 1912, “Sarah Bernhadt á Belle-Isle”, a film about her daily life.  Her theatre’s name was changed to “Théâtre de la Cité” by the Germans in World War II, because of her Jewish ancestry.