OLYMPIA – ANCIENNES MONTAGNES RUSSES — Jules Chéret
Original stone-lithograph plate printed circa 1896 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Illustrées. This reduced-format lithograph for Jules Chéret’s vibrant poster for the Olympia music hall, promoting the “Anciennes Montagnes Russes” (Old Russian Mountains), a thrilling amusement attraction presented alongside the venue’s popular entertainments.
The Olympia, founded in 1888 by Joseph Oller (co-founder of the Moulin Rouge), quickly became one of the premier music halls of Paris. In addition to musical revues and stage spectacles, it offered fairground-style amusements such as the “Russian Mountains”—an early form of roller coaster imported from Russia and a popular novelty of the late 19th century. Chéret’s lively composition reflects this spirit of excitement and spectacle: joyous figures in motion, flowing banners, and dynamic color that convey both speed and festivity.
Les Affiches Illustrées (1896–1899) was one of the first publications devoted to poster art, issued in small runs for collectors. Produced under Chéret’s artistic supervision at the Chaix atelier, each plate was a reduced-format stone lithograph of a major affiche, printed on fine paper for subscribers. These works, smaller than the street posters but identical in technique, brought the new art of the poster into the hands of collectors and art lovers.
Title: Olympia – Anciennes Montagnes Russes
Artist: Jules Chéret (1836–1932)
Date: c.1896 (after the original Olympia poster of the 1890s)
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris (Les Affiches Illustrées)
Size: 21.5 × 30 cm (approx. 8.5 × 11.8 in)
Print Type: Stone lithograph
Condition: Excellent “A,” near-mint on fine wove paper
Comments: Authentic plate from Les Affiches Illustrées, produced at Chaix under the direction of Jules Chéret. Bright, clean impression with vivid colors. A classic Belle Époque poster miniature celebrating both the Olympia and the thrill of Parisian amusements at the fin de siècle.
Grand Theatre de l’Exposition – Palais des Enfants – Jules Cheret – Affiches Illustrees – 1889.
Original small-format color lithographic plate from Les Affiches illustrees, reproducing Jules Cheret’s 1889 poster for the “Grand Theatre de l’Exposition / Palais des Enfants.” The image advertises the children’s theatre and entertainments at the 1889 Paris Exposition, listing opera-comique, ballets, pantomimes, clowneries, and marionettes. Cheret’s composition, with its bright, playful Belle Epoque style, was created for the Exposition venue near the Eiffel Tower and printed by Chaix for the original large poster; this reduced-format plate was issued shortly afterward for collectors in the Affiches illustrees portfolios.
Title: Affiches Illustrees – Grand Theatre de l’Exposition – Palais des Enfants
Artist: Jules Cheret (1836–1932)
Date: 1889 (small-format plate after the original poster)
Publisher/Series: Les Affiches illustrees
Printer: (after Imp. Chaix, Paris, as per the original poster)
Size: approx. 8.5 x 11.8 in. (21.5 x 30 cm) sheet, standard Affiches illustrees plate format
Print type: Original color lithograph, small-format plate
Condition: [insert your grading]
Comments: Cheret’s well-known 1889 Exposition children’s theatre poster in the Affiches illustrees collector’s format; strong period entertainment subject and classic Cheret color.
Theatre de la Tour Eiffel by Cheret 1894 for Les Affiches Illustrees
Artist: Cheret Printer: Chaix Imprimerie, Paris Size: 8.5 x 11.8 ” / 21.5 x 30 cm On/Off Linen: Unlined Year: 1896 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
Les Affiches Illustrees was created by Jules Cheret at the Chaix imprimerie to celebrate the famous poster artists and their works of the time. Poster collecting was the rage between 1895 and 1900 and Cheret made sure to supply the public with all the images of a selection of the best posters of the time. The printing was by way of Stone lithgoraphy and great attention was paid to quality. In Excellent condition
Scaramouche by Cheret 1894 for Les Affiches Illustrees
Artist: Cheret Printer: Chaix Imprimerie, Paris Size: 8.5 x 11.8 ” / 21.5 x 30 cm On/Off Linen: Unlined Year: 1896 Condition & Comments: Excellent A condition
Les Affiches Illustrees was created by Jules Cheret at the Chaix imprimerie to celebrate the famous poster artists and their works of the time. Poster collecting was the rage between 1895 and 1900 and Cheret made sure to supply the public with all the images of a selection of the best posters of the time. The printing was by way of Stone lithgoraphy and great attention was paid to quality. In Excellent condition
