Toujours vous!

About this artwork

lithografie in roodbruin op Japans papier

Art Historical Context

**Toujours vous! (Always You!)** *Théophile Alexandre Steinlen 1897* ography on Japanese paper,501 × 324 mmStep into the vibrant world of Belle Époque Paris with Théophile Alexandre Steinlen *Toujours vous!*, striking 1897 lithograph printed in reddish-brown tones on delicate Japanese paper. Steinlen a Swiss-born artist who made Montmartre his home was a master of poster art, blending realism with the flowing elegance of Art Nouveau. His works often captured the everyday poetry of Parisian life—cabaret scenes, street vendors, and tender human moments—making high art accessible to the masses through affordable prints. This piece exemplifies lithography's revolutionary role in late 19th-century graphic design, a technique Steinlen perfected alongside peers like Toulouse-Lautrec. By drawing directly on stone with greasy crayon, artists achieved rich tonal gradations and subtle textures impossible in earlier methods. The choice of Japanese paper, prized for its absorbency and silkiness, enhances the print's velvety depth, elevating it from ephemera to collector's gem. Likely a playful advertisement or theatrical poster—given Steinlen's Chat Noir collaborations—the title *Toujours vous!* evokes romantic devotion, mirroring the era's fascination with love, leisure, and urban glamour. Today, this lithograph reminds us how posters democratized beauty, turning city streets into open-air galleries and immortalizing Steinlen's empathetic gaze on humanity.

About the Artist

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen · 1859–1923

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, born on November 10, 1859, in Lausanne, Switzerland, hailed from a family with artistic roots; his grandfather, Christian Gottlieb Steinlen, was a painter and draftsman. After two years studying theology at the University of Lausanne, he trained in industrial ornamental drawing in Mulhouse under Schoenhaupt and worked as a designer trainee at a textile mill. Encourage...