£3.99 – £14.00
This vintage art nouveau Carnaval 1893 poster was created to advertise a Bal Masque that took place at the Theatre de l’Opera in Paris in 1893. Affiche de Ferdinand Lunel pour Le théâtre de l’Opéra, Carnaval 1893.
Ferdinand Lunel was born in la Fléche in 1857 becoming a well-known cartoonist, illustrator, painter and poster artist. His work featured in many renowned French publications including Le Courrier Français, La Rire, Le Chat Noir and La Vie Parisienne. His best known vintage posters are probably the ones created to advertise Rouxel & Dubois Cycles, the north western French seaside resort of Etretat or this fabulous theatre poster advertising the masked ball at the Theatre de l’Opera.
The Theatre de l’Opera, now known as Palais Garnier is one of the most beautiful and famous buildings in all France. The Theatre was built at the request of Napoleon III as the primary theatre of the Paris Opera. The venue has been wowing audiences with its elegant architecture, iconic dome and stunning staircase ever since. There are several vintage opera posters from the belle epoque era that promote theatre shows, ballets and Bal Masques.
Mi-Carême is a traditional Christian carnival celebrating the temporary break from severe abstinence of food, during the forty days of Lent. In the 1800s, Mi-Carême would be and still is celebrated all over France. In 1893, The Theatre de l’Opera put on four Bal Masques or masked balls. This vintage opera poster advertises the fourth and final Carnival of 1893. The Carnaval took place on 9th March. The poster was printed at Jules Cheret’s now infamous Chaix printing house.
Up to the late 1800s posters, then known as broadsides were large black and white, text-heavy prints of informative notices. Occasionally, they would feature a woodblock image to try to add a little bit of interest to an otherwise drab print. The information contained in the broadsides was easy to print and distribute. Once read they would simply be thrown away.
At the turn of the century, a young French artist and lithographer, Jules Chéret, transformed the poster from simple information-giving pieces of paper into a beautiful, colourful and new form of promotion and advertising. Cheret’s posters were brightly coloured. For the first time posters featured attractive young men and women. The posters offered an image of a stylish, fashionable city, full of fun, high jinx, high spirits and with the optimism of the belle epoque era.
Jules Chéret is best known for his lithographic posters of Art Nouveau designs. He created posters for many of Paris’s music halls and theatres in teh early 1900s. Venues such as the Folies-Bergère, the Moulin Rouge, Palais de Glace, the Hippodrome and the Eldorado. Product advertising for Humber Cycles, Saxoleine, Quinquina Dubonnet, Vin Mariani and La Daphne Poudre de Riz. Posters for the stars of the day such as Loie Fuller, Kanjarowa and Yvette Guilbert.
Jules Chéret was a prolific artist and a key figure in the history of poster art. He is known to have produced more than 1,000 posters during his career. In 1889 he received a major solo exhibition and a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Paris. He was awarded the Legion d’Honneur in 1890, and in 1928 the French government honoured his achievements in graphic art with the opening of the Cheret Museum in Nice.
Jules Cheret is the artist behind some of the most iconic posters of the Belle Epoque. His vintage posters captured the spirit of Paris in a way that has never been matched. Cherét’s posters are now highly sought after by collectors and fans of belle epoque art.
The Theatre de l’Opera is one of the most prestigious venues in Paris for opera performances. You can bring the glamour of turn of the century Paris to your walls with this vintage Theatre de l’Opera print. Whether you’re looking to create a Parisian boudoir or just add a touch of Art Nouveau glamour to your home, these posters are sure to please.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and poster for just £22.
=These digitally enhanced posters are professionally printed with fade-resistant inks onto a thick 300gsm silk poster card.
A4 posters are printed on to 300gsm silk artboard
A3, A2 and 50x70cm posters are printed on to 230gsm poster paper
All posters are despatched by 2nd class Royal Mail. Posters are posted in either a hard-backed envelope clearly marked ‘Do Not Bend’ or a sturdy postal tube.
This listing is for prints only, frames shown in any photos are not included in the sale.
| Size | A4, A3, A2, 50x70cm |
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