Moulin de la Galette Montmartre – Charles Naillod – 1906

Poster: Moulin de la Galette Montmartre – Charles Naillod – 1906

This wonderful 1906 Moulin de la Galette poster was created by the artist, Charles Naillrod and advertises dances at the mill on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings with matinee and evening dances on Sundays and holidays.

The Moulin de la Galette is one of the most iconic landmarks in Montmartre, Paris. Built in 1622, the windmill was named after the type of bread made from the flour ground there. The mill was turned into a guinguette (and eating, drinking and socialising establishment) in 1814.

In 1840, Parisians began to make their way to Montmartre to enjoy what they considered the simple pleasures of the countryside with a glass of wine, freshly baked bread and a terrace view of Paris and the Seine below. The area became popular with some of the best artists of the time and have immortalised the building.

However, as the belle époque fell out of fashion, so did the Moulin de la Galette. The famous windmill is the last remaining of the hundreds that were once a feature of the Montmartre countryside.

According to an article on the plugg-in France website – The moulin (windmill) was originally comprised of two mills: le Blute-fin and le Radet. Together the two mills were known as le Moulin du Palais, the first mention of which came in 1622. The mill was purchased by the Debray family in 1809 for the production of flour, however, it soon became a new addition to the Montmartre nightlife.

In 1834, Nicolas-Charles subsequently turned the location into a cabaret and outdoor dance hall. The Moulin de la Galette as it became known (it only took the name officially in 1895) quickly became a hotspot for artists and writers. Situated at 3 Rue Girardon, at the corner of Rue Lepic, the Moulin soon became famous for its bal dance parties. One of these parties was depicted by Renoir in his painting the ‘Bal du Moulin de la Galette’. Other artists have also created works based on the infamous building, including Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne and Pissarro were all inspired enough to paint their own scenes.

We’re not sure when the Moulin de la Galette closed its doors for the last time but this surviving poster must have been one of the last events held there. The windmill is still there and was renovated in 2016. Beneath it is now a chic brasserie and part of the old mill is now a private residence. 

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 a 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 print and frame for a great price.