Théophile Steinlen Satirical Art

Swiss-born artist Théophile Steinlen (1859 - 1923), was one of the most important figures of the Art Nouveau period. He lived and worked in Montmartre, associating with the Bohemian crowd that gathered at Le Chat Noir. Steinlen executed numerous commissions for the cabaret, including the famous poster featuring a regal black cat (La tournée du Chat Noir, 1896), which has appeared on countless coffee mugs, totes, and T-shirts. In his own time, he was best known for his acerbic, satirical illustrations (sometimes done under a pseudonym for safety). These were published in numerous magazines, notably L'Assiette au Beurre, a weekly satirical magazine with an anarchist bent. The period of the Belle Époque (roughly 1880-1914) was a period of political and intellectual upheaval, when France (and the rest of Europe) grappled with antimilitarism, feminism, freedom of speech, labor rights, and separation of church and state, among other things. Most of these issues are addressed in this copy of L'Assiette, and all of them are still with us today.

9.5” x 12.5” Eight pages. Cover edges chipped, mostly disbound.