PAL JOB. Circa 1895.

58x41 1/2 inches. Paul Dupont, Paris.
Condition B+: water stains in bottom margin; creases in image; restoration in margins.
Pal was certainly the most daring artist working during the fin-de-siecle, so much so that one has to wonder how he managed to escape the wrath of the censors of his day. Although in its extravagance his work can sometimes border on kitsch, this poster is clearly Pal at his best. A sensuous siren is reclining in an armchair in an elegant, low-cut dress, which is amply filled by her natural, largely visible, charms. She is smoking a cigarette that has been freshly rolled using Job rolling paper. Behind her a folding screen reproduces the Job paper packaging.