Jane Avril

Paris: Chaix. Very Good. ONE OF TOULOUSE-LAUTREC'S MOST FAMOUS LITHOGRAPHS. "This famous poster advertising Le Jardin de Paris shows the high-kicking performance of the dynamic Jane Avril in the quadrille naturaliste, framed by the staff of the orchestra's bass fiddle. Vaucaire described the dance in the August 1, 1886, Paris Illustré as 'that wonderful, insolent joke in which two women advanced side by side, each balancing on one foot while keeping the other at the level of the spectators' eyes. They wore silk stockings and cambric and lace drawers, with much swishing of pretty petticoats'" (Donson and Griepp, Great Lithographs by Toulouse-Lautrec). From the Les Maitres de L'Affiche (Masters of the Poster) series, plate 110. "The Masters of the Poster, first published in Paris from 1895 to 1900, is the most famous compilation ever made of the art of the great age of the poster-an art whose new graphic sophistication captured the ebullience of Paris life in the late 19th century, and celebrated the emerging spirit of the 20th century" (Applebaum, The Complete "Masters of the Poster"). Paris: Chaix, 1898. 15.5x11.25in, 395x285mm. (Image alone: 11.5x8.5in, 292x216mm). Image fine, with full, uncropped margins. Margins with two pinholes at top, tiny repaired tear at left edge and chip to bottom left corner. With original "Les Maitres de L'Affiche" blindstamp at bottom right. Handsomely framed.