DOI Heft:
No. 50 (May, 1897)
DOI Artikel:Mourey, Gabriel: Some French illustrated theatre programmes
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18388#0248
French Illustrated Programmes
programmes corresponded exactly to the literary those delightful monograms in the Japanese style,
work in course of representation. There were de- of which he knows the secret so well. These mono-
picted street scenes, popular types, incidents often grams were dotted about the page, each with an
indelicate enough, coloured in loud tints, and in individuality of its own. And now the " Chat
drawing as rudimentary as the ordinary psychology Noir " is no more. Alas ! " Where are the snows
of the characters passing across the scene. of yester-year ? "
Occasionally, however, by way of a change, the Alexandre Charpentier's gaufred programmes met
manager of the Theatre-Libre would employ a more with great success. The idea was novel, and the
artistic hand to illustrate his playbills. That grace- treatment more so. He did two for the Tbe'atre-
ful draughtsman, M. Carlos Schwabe, illustrator of Libre, one keeping the general tint of the paper,
L'Evangik de I'Enfance, designed the programme the other being in two colours. They are both ex-
of LHonneur. I may say at once that M. ceedingly rare now, and are really delightful works
Schwabe's drawing, with its floral fancies, in no way of art.
suggested the spirit of the
piece. But what of that!
Cheret, too, and Willette
and Forain often lent the m ji ^SaT?81^
support of their genius to f ^^^^afaW** I i» r**^0' ' /ar'^^L
this work ; but it must be V » f ^S^'1"^,..... J^f} . V»
admitted that they took <s^ 4^ ) iaSUr
small pains to adapt their &f^k ^""w '''39^8%
designs to the require-
ments of the occasion.
In turn each of them
would produce a sketch,
full of character of course,
but in no way specially
fitted to the subject, and j).,
such as might have been * He™V
used for any other pur- t- , c^t'Jstfi.oY
pose. Often enough the
subject of the drawing had
not even the remotest
bearing upon that of the
play.
Very different it was
with the programmes de-
signed by Henri Riviere
to illustrate his animated
shadows at the now de-
funct " Chat Noir." Real
feasts of art, these, both
for the eye and for the
mind, and conceived in a
quite new and special
form. He reproduced in
black the chief figures in
the show, within a coloured
cover, ornamented wi(h
decorative flowers, de- \ jjf SB' 'mti'J
signed by his friend
Georges Auriol, who also ^5^^^^""
devised for each of the ' - i
authors represented one of programme cover by m. dumont
239
. ii Mia i,, \
Brand ...
. II. Lugne-Poe.
Eynar ....
. M. Marcel DcalouU.
■ M " Marthe Mellot.
Lb bailli .
. M. Duponi
. U. Cealii.
Le doyen. . .
. M. Jat)lin.
Une autre iriTii:
e H* Suzanne Oay.
. L'homme . . .
M. G. Labruyere.
Kerotnej. .
M* Fanny Zaestinger
If* Paule AndraJ.
Lepay*™. . .
M. Jablin.
U malt re d'e«J»
■ M. Vague.
UarefEer. .
. M Chevmliav.
U bateau
PrM
, Homniet
ret et Employe*,
programmes corresponded exactly to the literary those delightful monograms in the Japanese style,
work in course of representation. There were de- of which he knows the secret so well. These mono-
picted street scenes, popular types, incidents often grams were dotted about the page, each with an
indelicate enough, coloured in loud tints, and in individuality of its own. And now the " Chat
drawing as rudimentary as the ordinary psychology Noir " is no more. Alas ! " Where are the snows
of the characters passing across the scene. of yester-year ? "
Occasionally, however, by way of a change, the Alexandre Charpentier's gaufred programmes met
manager of the Theatre-Libre would employ a more with great success. The idea was novel, and the
artistic hand to illustrate his playbills. That grace- treatment more so. He did two for the Tbe'atre-
ful draughtsman, M. Carlos Schwabe, illustrator of Libre, one keeping the general tint of the paper,
L'Evangik de I'Enfance, designed the programme the other being in two colours. They are both ex-
of LHonneur. I may say at once that M. ceedingly rare now, and are really delightful works
Schwabe's drawing, with its floral fancies, in no way of art.
suggested the spirit of the
piece. But what of that!
Cheret, too, and Willette
and Forain often lent the m ji ^SaT?81^
support of their genius to f ^^^^afaW** I i» r**^0' ' /ar'^^L
this work ; but it must be V » f ^S^'1"^,..... J^f} . V»
admitted that they took <s^ 4^ ) iaSUr
small pains to adapt their &f^k ^""w '''39^8%
designs to the require-
ments of the occasion.
In turn each of them
would produce a sketch,
full of character of course,
but in no way specially
fitted to the subject, and j).,
such as might have been * He™V
used for any other pur- t- , c^t'Jstfi.oY
pose. Often enough the
subject of the drawing had
not even the remotest
bearing upon that of the
play.
Very different it was
with the programmes de-
signed by Henri Riviere
to illustrate his animated
shadows at the now de-
funct " Chat Noir." Real
feasts of art, these, both
for the eye and for the
mind, and conceived in a
quite new and special
form. He reproduced in
black the chief figures in
the show, within a coloured
cover, ornamented wi(h
decorative flowers, de- \ jjf SB' 'mti'J
signed by his friend
Georges Auriol, who also ^5^^^^""
devised for each of the ' - i
authors represented one of programme cover by m. dumont
239
. ii Mia i,, \
Brand ...
. II. Lugne-Poe.
Eynar ....
. M. Marcel DcalouU.
■ M " Marthe Mellot.
Lb bailli .
. M. Duponi
. U. Cealii.
Le doyen. . .
. M. Jat)lin.
Une autre iriTii:
e H* Suzanne Oay.
. L'homme . . .
M. G. Labruyere.
Kerotnej. .
M* Fanny Zaestinger
If* Paule AndraJ.
Lepay*™. . .
M. Jablin.
U malt re d'e«J»
■ M. Vague.
UarefEer. .
. M Chevmliav.
U bateau
PrM
, Homniet
ret et Employe*,