JULES CHERET LIBRAIRE ED. SAGOT / AFFICHES-ESTAMPES. 1891.

95x34 inches. Chaix, Paris.
Condition B+: repaired tears in margins; restoration along vertical and horizontal folds. Two-sheets.
Ed. Sagot was not only the first important poster dealer in history, but also, along with Maindron and Beraldi, one of Cheret's most enthusiastic supporters. In 1891 Sagot published an impressive catalogue of posters for sale that contained 2233 items! In all he printed 550 of these catalogues, 50 on vellum and the other 500 on regular paper. To help celebrate and promote the event Sagot printed a special poster, in five colors, designed by Cheret, which he included with the catalogue as follows: the 50 catalogues printed on vellum were issued with the poster without lettering, and the other 500 were issued with lettering. Cheret didn't design a poster specifically for this event, he revisited an unused project for the Parisian department store La Belle Jardiniere, which explains why the image has no obvious connection to poster collecting. Nonetheless it is one of Cheret's most gracious creations, shining with marvelous colors. It is an example of Cheret at his very best. Due to the nature of this poster, we know that it was never posted outdoors and unlike just about every other poster, we know how many were printed. Broido 528, Maindron 427, DFP-II 218, Reims 406.