Poster For The Cabaret “la Lune Rousse.” Charles Léandre (1862–1934) France, Paris, 1904

A large artistic poster for the Parisian cabaret “La Lune Rousse,” created by French illustrator and caricaturist Charles Léandre in 1904. The composition is a characteristic example of Belle Époque poster art and reflects the combination of graphic satire, theatrical staging, and the decorative aesthetics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

At the center of the composition is a scene depicting a conversation between a young woman and an older man. The female figure, dressed in an elegant evening gown and wearing a hat adorned with a feather, is seated at a table in the cabaret, striking an expressive, theatrical pose. Opposite her stands a corpulent man dressed in a black tailcoat and holding a top hat in his hand. His figure is rendered in a characteristic caricature style, with deliberately accentuated plasticity and an expressive gesture of his head thrown back. The composition is built on a visual contrast between the woman’s light and elegant silhouette and the man’s heavy and comical figure.

In the upper part of the sheet appears a smiling moon face, the symbol of the cabaret “La Lune Rousse.” This whimsical motif, surrounded by rays of light, reinforces the atmosphere of Montmartre’s nightlife in the early 20th century. The poster’s decorative typography uses typefaces characteristic of the Art Nouveau style and blends harmoniously with the composition’s artistic structure.

The poster advertises the cabaret “La Lune Rousse,” located at 36 Boulevard de Clichy, Place Pigalle, one of the centers of Parisian bohemian life in the early 20th century. At the bottom of the sheet are the artist’s signature and the date “C. Léandre 1904,” as well as a reference to the artistic printing house Établissements Minot, Paris, known for producing theater and cabaret posters.

The lithograph is printed on paper and was later reinforced by mounting it onto a textile backing with a protective coating. This restoration technique was widely used for large posters from the Belle Époque era and helped stabilize the fragile paper and preserve the surface of the work.

Dimensions: Height 140 cm, width 104 cm.
Material: Lithograph on paper, mounted on a textile backing with a protective coating.
Condition: Good condition. The paper exhibits a natural patina due to age, with traces of old creases and slight wear along the edges, characteristics typical of large posters from the early 20th century. Traces of moisture are visible on the left side of the sheet.
Provenance: France, Paris.