(French, 1836-1932)Jules Chéret is regarded as the father of modern lithography. His training as a lithographer, superb draftsman, and his innate sense of color enabled him to raise the technical and esthetic levels of the poster print to new heights of artistic sophistication.Jules Chéret was born in Paris May 31, 1836, the son of a poor typographer. He attended the Ecole National de Dessin and spent his Sundays sketching and studying paintings in the Louvre. In his twenties Chéret made two trips to London, where he was eventually introduced to Eugene Rimmel, a famous perfume manufacturer and philanthropist. Rimmel, over a period of time, became Chéret’s patron and financed a printing firm in Paris. Chéret purchased the latest machines from England and had large lithographic stones made especially for him.The first effort of Imprimerie Jules Chéret, was an enormous success, launching Chéret’s career and a new age for poster art. Between 1866 and 1881 Chéret perfected his style and technique. He used successive stones of red, yellow, and blue followed by a fourth stone for an overlay of transparent tints. It is said that “his miracle” was in adapting the former heavy, cold, and somber lithography to the delicate, powdery, and fluid grace of pastels. By the turn of the century he had produced over a 1000 posters. Chéret’s first official recognition was when he won a silver medal at the 1878 international Exposition and a gold medal in 1889. In 1890 he was made a chevalier of the Legion d’Honour with a citation which called him “creator of an art industry science 1866, by the application of art to commercial and industrial printing.” He was later promoted in varying levels up to the highest rank, a Grand Prix, at the Universal Exhibition in 1900. In 1912 Chéret was honored by the Louvre Museum with a retrospective exhibition, and the Musee Jules Chéret was founded in Nice in 1928. A large collection of Chéret’s work also hangs in The Hermitage Museum in Russia.