Les Trois Mousquetaires 1887
Buy this print on Etsy →All for one, and one for your wall. Les Trois Mousquetaires is Jules Cheret's swashbuckling 1887 poster promoting a new illustrated edition of Alexandre Dumas's immortal novel, and it carries every ounce of the story's adventure and bravado.
Dumas first serialized The Three Musketeers in 1844, and its tale of loyalty, honour and cape-swirling derring-do had already conquered readers across Europe. Cheret's dynamic vision proved the perfect match for that spirit. Conceived as a two-sheet poster, the design was built for impact and for a broad readership, its figures caught mid-flourish in a composition that seems to lunge off the paper. The sweeping line and vivid colour turn a book advertisement into a piece of pure narrative excitement, exactly the response a bookseller could have hoped for.
Jules Cheret (1836-1932), the father of the modern poster, learned colour lithography in London before returning to Paris to fill its streets with vibrant imagery. His joyful, dancing 'Cherette' came to embody the spirit of the Belle Epoque, and his technical command of the stone made vast, brilliantly coloured sheets like this one possible.
The work belongs to the Belle Epoque, the 'beautiful era' between 1871 and 1914 that was the golden age of the illustrated poster. Colour lithography allowed artists to cover Paris in vivid imagery, and pioneers such as Cheret, Mucha and Cappiello transformed everyday commercial advertising into sought-after collectable art prized far beyond the shop window.
Displayed at scale, a poster like this becomes a genuine focal point. Its confident composition and saturated 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, library, kitchen or studio. It is an especially fitting choice for book lovers, readers of Dumas and anyone drawn to tales of adventure.
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 classic literature, Jules Cheret and vintage French posters - 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.
