QUINQUINA DUBONNET — 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 famous poster for Quinquina Dubonnet, the French apéritif wine infused with quinine.

First created in 1846 by Joseph Dubonnet, the fortified wine was promoted not only as a fashionable aperitif but also as a tonic with supposed health benefits. By the 1890s it had become a household name, thanks in part to striking posters like those of Chéret. His design for Dubonnet features an exuberant female figure in swirling dress and ribbons, raising a glass with infectious energy — the very embodiment of the Belle Époque’s joie de vivre.

Les Affiches Illustrées (1896–1899) was among the first collector series dedicated to poster art, issued in small editions. Produced at the Chaix atelier under Chéret’s supervision, each plate was a carefully executed stone-lithograph reduction of a major affiche, printed on fine paper. These works allowed collectors to own high-quality, authentic examples of poster art in a more practical format than the large affiches that covered Parisian walls.

Title: Quinquina Dubonnet – Apéritif
Artist: Jules Chéret (1836–1932)
Date: c.1896 (after the original 1890s 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 plate from Les Affiches Illustrées, produced at Chaix under Jules Chéret. Bright, crisp impression with vivid colors. A classic advertising design linking the world of apéritifs with the exuberant art of the Belle Époque.