Clinique Cheron 1905
Buy this print on Etsy →No artist understood the tenderness of animals quite like Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen, which made him the perfect choice to design a poster for the Clinique Cheron veterinary practice. Conceived at near life size, this 1905 design stands among his most beautiful and rarest works - a warm, affectionate advertisement that feels less like commerce than a family portrait of beloved pets.
Cats and dogs are gathered together with unmistakable fondness, each rendered with the close observation of an artist who spent a lifetime watching animals. The felines sit above, the canines cluster below, and the eye is drawn gently downward through the group until it settles on the clinic's name. It is a masterclass in quiet composition: the arrangement itself does the persuading, celebrating the very creatures the practice existed to care for. Because so few impressions survive, an original today is a genuine rarity, treasured as much by collectors of fine posters as by devoted animal lovers, and its unforced warmth has kept it beloved for well over a century.
Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) was a Swiss-French Art Nouveau artist famed for his tender Montmartre scenes and the graceful cats that recur throughout his work. A keen observer of everyday Parisian life, he brought warmth, humour and genuine affection to the commercial poster, and few of his contemporaries could match his feeling for animal character.
Art Nouveau swept across Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, sweeping away rigid academic convention in favour of sinuous 'whiplash' lines, botanical ornament and idealised figures. It was the movement that first turned the humble advertising poster into a genuine art form and made the city street an open-air gallery.
Displayed at scale, this print becomes an irresistible focal point, especially for animal lovers. Its warm palette and gentle composition hold their own above a sofa, bed or console, anchor a gallery wall of mixed prints, and bring charm and character to a living room, hallway, kitchen, veterinary clinic, nursery or studio.
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 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 Steinlen, cats and dogs, or vintage French art - and a lasting way to bring a piece of animal-loving poster history into a home, studio or workplace. Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of the original; subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic character.
