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LE SILLON — Fernand Toussaint – 1896

Original stone-lithograph plate printed circa 1896 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Étrangères. This plate presents Fernand Toussaint’s poster Le Sillon, designed during the height of the Belgian poster movement of the 1890s. Toussaint, celebrated for his elegant portraits, landscapes, and decorative panels, also contributed to the rise of the poster as an art form, working in the refined Art Nouveau style.

The composition for Le Sillon reflects the strong graphic design typical of the period, balancing expressive lettering with symbolic imagery. Toussaint’s contribution highlights the international scope of the poster revival, in which Belgian artists such as Privat Livemont, Fernand Toussaint, and Henri Meunier played an important role alongside their French counterparts.

Les Affiches Étrangères (1896–1899) was a companion series to Les Affiches Illustrées, published at the Chaix atelier under the artistic direction of Jules Chéret. Each plate was printed in stone lithography on fine wove paper, offering collectors authentic small-format versions of significant contemporary posters from across Europe.

Title: Le Sillon
Artist: Fernand Toussaint (1873–1956)
Date: c.1896 (after the original 1890s poster)
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris (Les Affiches Étrangères)
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 Étrangères, produced at Chaix under Jules Chéret. Crisp impression with strong color. A scarce example by Fernand Toussaint, representing the important Belgian contribution to Art Nouveau poster design.