The lowly placard, a quick and efficient device used to spread news or advertise goods, ascended to the level of a respected art form in the late 1800's in France. The `art poster' was born at the convergence of new aesthetic movements, technological advances and societal changes. Fine artists were swayed from their lofty perches to join the practical arts, influenced by the egalitarian spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement. Artist Jules Cheret, "Father of the Modern Poster," perfected a means of high-quality printing that produced large, colour saturated images.
An emerging middle class was the ready target for the consumption of newly manufactured goods, literary publications, theatrical events and leisure time entertainment. A sea of gorgeous images added a "joie de vivre" to everyday life, introducing a period of French life now know as the Belle Epoque. These posters, although ephemeral in intent, have been collected and continually reproduced over the subsequent decades, a testament to their timeless beauty and emotional depth. This book chronicles the influence of the art poster in France and its rapid spread across Europe and United States and offers to the readers an artist's poster tour of the development of the art poster.