Poster Art-Event-Chat Noir Cabaret

I maintain records on my trackables. They have the goal to circulate more than five years and to be moved by at least 25 cachers. That is a target rate of five drops per year for five years, or a drop every 73 days. The average drop rate of my trackables in the US is 124 days, in Europe it is 71 days. As of 3-Jul-25 this trackable had survived for 1.7 years and had been moved by 3 cachers, for an average drop every 210 days, or 1.7 drops per year. Please keep it moving, then drop it in a safe place!

No permission is needed to leave the U.S. While in the U.S., please drop it at an event, in a Premium Member only OR a rural cache near a busy trail or road. Do not place it in an urban, non-premium cache. Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; the bag keeps the trackable clean and dry, protects the number and prevents tangling with other items. Otherwise, take the trackable anywhere you wish.

This trackable is one of a series displaying poster art from its inception into the 20th Century. There are examples promoting events, travel, products and movies. There is no pattern to the images selected beyond there being something in them that caught my attention…I make no claim to having good taste. After the brief history below, there may be comments on the poster itself.

Although printed public announcements can be traced to the 15th century, the poster as it is understood today did not emerge until around 1860, given impetus by the invention of lithography, which allowed brilliantly colored posters to be produced cheaply and easily. And, and it could be posted wherever there was a public to see it.

Whether promoting a product, an event, or a sentiment (such as patriotism), a poster must immediately catch the attention of the passerby. There is no set way to accomplish this; success can stem from the instantaneous impact of a concise, striking design or from the sumptuous appeal of an ornate work of art. It was easily produced and immediate in impact.

The first of the great modern poster artists, Jules Chéret, began his career in 1867 with a theatrical poster announcing a performance by Sarah Bernhardt. His captivating depictions of the entertainers of Parisian night life, rendered in clear, radiant colors, dominated Paris displays for the last 30 years of the 19th century. He designed over 1000 posters. He was also the first designer who introduced sexuality in advertising. His advertising posters are among the earliest examples of the use of the female image for promotional purposes.

Interest in the poster was heightened by the appearance in the 1890s of the style known as Art Nouveau, characterized by flowing, organic lines, elegant grace, and a richly complex symbolism. Because it combined decorative brilliance with a faith that fine art could be popular and useful, the movement found the poster a natural form.

The period between the World Wars marks the transition from art nouveaux to art deco in the graphic arts. Whereas, the former had emphasized curves and romanticized figures and landscapes, art deco had more angular, stylized images of people and landscapes. In the mid-20th Century, art deco gave way to a kind of realism, but as can be seen among this collection of trackables, modern posters will still employ full-blown elements of both art nouveau and art deco.

This poster, advertising the former Paris Chat Noir (Black Cat) cabaret is from the art nouveau period. It decorates many a college dormitory wall and, ironically, is far more famous than the artist, Théophile Steinlen.