Chéret, Jules (1836 - 1932)

French painter, lithographer and designer. Although he also designed wall carpets and tapestry, it was his hundreds of posters that brought him fame and international renown. He was regarded as the father of the modem poster even by his contemporaries. His multi-coloured posters advertizing the famous cabarets, locales, events, and the stars of contemporary Parisian night-life were produced at a printing shop he himself had established in 1866 (his most popular works featured the Moulin Rouge, as well as Folies-Bergére dancer Loi'e Fuller). The figure of a delicate and smiling woman (the Parisienne) became a characteristic and popular motif of his works, one that frequently appeared on the medals and jewellery he made after the 1880s.