bal masque

Theatre de l’opera Carnaval by Cheret for Les Affiches Illustrees 1894

Original stone-lithograph plate printed circa 1896 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Illustrées. This reduced-format lithograph reproduces Jules Chéret’s exuberant poster for the 1892 Paris Carnival at the Théâtre de l’Opéra.

The annual Opéra masquerade balls were among the most anticipated events of Belle Époque Paris, drawing fashionable crowds for evenings of music, dance, and masked revelry. Chéret’s design captures the carnival’s spirit of joy and festivity: a central female figure in motion, surrounded by swirling ribbons and celebratory text, rendered in his signature palette of vivid reds, yellows, and blues. As with many of his works, Chéret conveys both the elegance and the playful abandon of Parisian nightlife in the 1890s.

Les Affiches Illustrées (1896–1899) was a pioneering collector’s journal, presenting reduced-format lithographs of important contemporary posters. Produced under Chéret’s supervision at the Chaix atelier, each plate replicated the technique of the original affiche, allowing subscribers to own authentic Belle Époque poster art in a more practical format.

Title: Carnaval 1894 – Théâtre de l’Opéra
Artist: Jules Chéret (1836–1932)
Date: c.1896 (after the original 1894 poster)
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 Chéret. Crisp impression with strong color. A classic Chéret carnival design, celebrating the pageantry and gaiety of the Opéra’s 1894 masquerade ball.