Folies-Bergere / Liane de Pougy 1898
Buy this print on Etsy →Before the delicate decorative panels that would make his name, Paul Berthon announced himself with a burst of theatrical bravado. Folies-Bergere / Liane de Pougy is his inaugural poster of 1898, heralding the arrival of the celebrated performer Liane de Pougy in L'Araignee d'Or, The Golden Spider, on the great Parisian stage.
This is Berthon in an unexpectedly forceful register. Where his later work drifts into dreamy pastel ornament, here the composition has a muscular confidence perfectly suited to its subject - the glamour and spectacle of the Folies-Bergere, temple of Belle Epoque nightlife. Liane de Pougy, one of the era's most famous demimondaines, is presented as an object of fascination, and Berthon frames her with all the drama the occasion demanded. This particular version retains both the ornamental text banners at top and bottom, a feature that distinguishes it among surviving impressions and makes it especially prized by collectors.
Paul Berthon (1872-1934) was a student of Eugene Grasset and a leading light of the French Art Nouveau poster, known for his lithographs' soft, tapestry-like richness. This early theatrical sheet shows the range of an artist usually remembered for quiet decorative panels.
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, with the theatres and cabarets among the medium's greatest patrons.
Displayed at scale, a poster like this becomes a genuine focal point. Its confident composition and rich 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, dressing room, kitchen or studio. It is a glamorous choice for lovers of cabaret, dance and the legend of old Montmartre.
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 the Folies-Bergere, Belle Epoque theatre 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.
