LES FÊTES DE PARIS — Eugène Grasset

Original stone-lithograph plate printed circa 1896 at Imprimerie Chaix (Paris) for Les Affiches Illustrées. This reduced-format lithograph reproduces Eugène Grasset’s important 1886 poster created for the Grande Représentation de Gala at the Opéra National in Paris, part of the “Fêtes de Paris” series of public spectacles.

Les Affiches Illustrées (1896–1899) was one of the first dedicated poster journals, issued in limited runs for the growing circle of collectors. Published under the artistic supervision of Jules Chéret at Chaix, each number featured high-quality stone-lithograph reductions of notable affiches by the leading artists of the day. These prints—smaller in format than the street posters but identical in technique—gave subscribers access to what was then a new and rapidly evolving art form.

Grasset, one of the pioneers of Art Nouveau, was central to this movement. His Fêtes de Paris design reflects his refined linear style and bold color harmonies, blending medieval decorative influences with modern poster design. The result is a work that helped establish poster art as a serious decorative medium in the Belle Époque.

Title: Les Fêtes de Paris (Grande Représentation de Gala à l’Opéra National)

Artist: Eugène Grasset (1845–1917)

Date: c.1896 (after the original 1886 poster)

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 original plate from Les Affiches Illustrées, produced at Chaix under Jules Chéret. Crisp impression with rich color. A rare and collectible piece linking Grasset’s early poster work of the 1880s with the poster-collecting craze of the 1890s.