La Reine Indigo 1875
Buy this print on Etsy →Raise the curtain on your wall with La Reine Indigo, Jules Cheret's shimmering 1875 announcement for the French premiere of Johann Strauss II's operetta. Here is the poster as pure theatre: colour, movement and the promise of an evening's enchantment condensed into a single sheet.
Cheret designed the image to sell a spectacle, and it does. The celebrated Zulma Bouffar takes the role of Fantasca, and around her Cheret conjures the exotic reverie of the Arabian Nights that made Johann Strauss II's score so beloved, from its inventive melodies to the swirling 1001 Nights Waltz. Loose, luminous handling and a palette of warm, saturated tones capture the magic and bustle audiences could expect once they passed through the theatre doors, the whole composition alive with the restless energy of the Parisian stage.
Jules Cheret (1836-1932) is rightly called the father of the modern poster. After mastering colour lithography in London, he returned to Paris and covered its walls with joyful, dancing figures. His radiant 'Cherettes' became the very emblem of the age, and works such as this one show how completely he turned advertising into an art of light and gaiety.
This print belongs to the Belle Epoque, the 'beautiful era' between 1871 and 1914 that was the golden age of the illustrated poster. Colour lithography let artists blanket the city in vivid imagery, and pioneers such as Cheret, Mucha and Cappiello transformed everyday commercial announcements into sought-after collectable art, hung in the finest homes almost as soon as they were pasted on the hoardings.
Displayed at scale, a theatrical poster like this becomes a genuine focal point. Its confident composition and glowing palette hold their own above a sofa, bed or console, anchor a gallery wall of mixed prints, and bring warmth, colour and a sense of history to a living room, hallway, dining room, home bar, music room, kitchen or studio. It is a natural fit for anyone who loves opera, the stage or the romance of old Paris.
Printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail. Choose your size from the drop-down menu - 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube (or flat for the smallest size); frame not included.
This is a faithful reproduction of the original stone lithograph - colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving crisp, clean and ready to frame.
A memorable gift for anyone who loves Belle Epoque theatre, Jules Cheret and vintage French design - and a lasting way to bring a piece of poster history into a home, studio or workplace. Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of the original lithograph; subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic character.
