Le Chat Noir Art Nouveau poster The Black Cat Art Nouveau Poster – Théophile Alexandre Steinlen – 1896

Le Chat Noir Art Nouveau poster – Steinlen – 1896

Poster: Le Chat Noir Art Nouveau poster – Théophile Alexandre Steinlen – 1896

Even though you may not have heard of the Swiss-born artist Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, you will probably be know some of his artworks. He is probably best known for his iconic 1896 vintage poster La tournée du Chat Noir de Rodolphe Salis which can be found here. 

The Black Cat poster on this listing is a lesser-known, alternative version. We cannot find out much information about the print. It looks like it may have been a prototype or working drawing to its more famous counterpart. The black cat on this version is illustrated from the side, set against a decorative art nouveau styled, grey background. The cat on this alternative version does possess a similar, although more solid, bright red ‘halo’ or ‘crown’.

Steinlen, was a Swiss-born French Art Nouveau painter and printmaker during La Belle Epoque era, a golden period in French history. The artist played an important role in the development of Art Nouveau. He is best known for his posters and illustrations, which often featured bold, decorative patterns. His work was heavily influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, and he is credited as one of the artists that helped to popularise this style in the West. Steinlen also had a strong interest in cats, and his poster for the Chat Noir cabaret is one of his most famous images.

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.