L’Horloge – Les Girard – Jules Chéret – 1879 – Red
This is one of the rarest posters in Jules Chéret’s huge canon of work. It is also possibly the one that is least like any other poster he created. His work is renowned for his clever use of the lithographic process to create blended, vibrant colours, with scantily clad ‘cherettes’, full of life and full of detail. In contrast, his L’Hologe poster is a much simpler, cartoon-like image. Instead of subtle, soft colour vignettes, this poster utilises flat, solid colours for the background and the three dancing characters. It is actually closer in style to the work to come of artists like Leonetto Cappiello and Jean d’Ylen than his own posters.
There are two versions of this now famous Girard poster. This first version has a bold, red background, and was created by Cheret in 1877 when the troupe appeared at the Folies Bergere. The second version, which can be seen here, has a green background that was produced in 1879 just two years after this red version, and includes the words Champs Elysées. Chéret cleverly used the same artwork but inverted the colours to create this alternative version.
Les Girard at L’Horlege
The L’Horloge poster was produced in 1879 to promote a variety act by the contortionist troupe Les Girard. The poster captures the three principal performers during the middle of their high-kicking routine. The dancers distorted bodies strike an unusual pose that is exaggerated by the long pointed shoes, wild hair and billowing jacket tails. Cheret has depicted one of the main dancers with his foot poking through the letter ‘O’ in the word L’Horlege. At the bottom of the poster he has also contorted one of the dancers between the letters of the name of the act, Les Girard. The poster design had been used two years earlier with the words Folies Bergere for their performances at another famous Parisian café-concert venue.
There are two versions of this now famous Les Girard L’Horloge poster. This first version has a bold, red background, and was created by Cheret in 1877 when the troupe appeared at the Folies Bergere. The second version, which can be seen here, has a green background that was produced in 1879 just two years after this red version, and includes the words Champs Elysées. Chéret cleverly used the same artwork but inverted the colours to create this alternative version.
The L’Horloge Music Hall
L’Horloge or The Clock started its history in 1840 when it opened its doors as a cafe-restaurant. The l’Horloge was situated on the Champs-Élysées in the large square of the Games, near the palais de l’Élysée and le rue de Marginy.
With the changes in trends, the cafe expanded its services in 1848 to become a café-concert. Caf’conc’s, as they were usually known, were coffee houses that, usually for a hike in prices or an admission charge would provide entertainment to their patrons in the form of ballads, ditties, and pieces of music, usually from the operas of the day. The café-concert was a success. However, in 1855 the building was demolished to make way for the Palace of Industry and Fine Arts constructed for the Universal Exhibition of 1855.
L’Horloge was rebuilt in the square deLoyden as the small garden pavillion café-concert in the Gardens of the Champs-Élysées avenue Edward Tuck. Again it regained its success. Performers including Yvette Guilbert, Les Gilard, Kam-Hill, Mevisto, Vaugan and the Leopold Brothers all performed at the newly built theatre. Spectaculars and Variety shows were regularly staged at the venue.
By 187os, the café-con had run into hard times and in 1875 the building was taken over by the city of Paris. That same year, it was purchased from the city government by a Viennese businessman by the name of Stein. Stein kept the garden atmosphere and hired a stable of some of the period’s top entertainment. Almost two decades later, in 1892, a new owner, Joseph Oller would take over and rename the venue the Jardin de Paris.
Oller was an entertainment entrepreneur who already owned an assortment of auditoriums and venues. These included Fantaisies Oller, La Bombonnière, Théâtre des Nouveautés, Nouveau Cirque and the Montagnes Russes. However, Oller is perhaps best known for co-owning the famous Moulin Rouge in Montmartre with Charles Zidler. In 1892 Oller also the Paris Olympia. It was the first Parisian music hall and offered entertainment on a previously unseen scale. The theatre introduced the revelling Parisians to shows that included ventriloquists, juggler acts, ballets, operas, pantomimes and revues. Acts such as Loie Fuller, La Goulue, Leopoldo Fregoli, Dranem, Ouvrard, and Mistinguett were regularly billed at the venue.
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