Kinia Raffard,Amer Toni-Aperitif 1888

This advertisement for Kinia Raffard, an aperitif, was made by Jules Chéret, one of the great masters of lithography. Chéret was a pioneer in creating colorful posters for the streets of Paris, using a printing technique that allowed for mass production. The process involved drawing an image on a limestone slab with a greasy crayon, then treating it with chemicals so that ink would only adhere to the drawn areas. This made it possible to create vibrant, eye-catching images at a relatively low cost. Look closely, and you’ll see how Chéret’s design emphasizes bold typography and a lively figure, rendered with a sense of spontaneity. This made the advertisement visually appealing, but it also spoke to a growing consumer culture, where products were marketed directly to the public. The poster, then, is not just a work of art, but a testament to the changing relationship between art, industry, and everyday life.