Saxoléine
Artist
Jules Chéret
1836–1932. Lithographer, poster artist. Born in Paris.
Chéret was apprenticed to a lithographer at thirteen. He spent the early 1860s in London designing labels and book covers, then returned to Paris in 1866 and opened his own lithographic press.
Working directly on the stone, he drew image and lettering together in a few flat colours. His posters filled Paris walls for three decades and earned him the label “father of the modern poster”. His lettering is loose, condensed and confident, made to be read across a boulevard.
- Jules Chéret
- 1895
- Belle Époque
- France
- Serif, Display
- Chaix, Atelier Chéret, Paris
- Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Gallica btv1b9015291n
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public domain
Fonts
Lamp Title
Letters from the poster
Full typeface
Capitals
Lowercase
Download
Safety Capitals
Letters from the poster
Full typeface
Lettering style
Download
History
Saxoléine was a lamp oil sold as safe and deodorised. Chéret’s sheet puts the product claim under one of his Cherettes holding a lamp.
The title is a mixed-case serif with a distinctive x. The red line is straight capitals for the safety claim.
The Bibliothèque nationale de France holds a copy printed by Chaix, Atelier Chéret.
Source and rights
Jules Chéret died in 1932. His work entered the public domain on 1 January 2003. The scan comes from Gallica, the digital library of the BnF.
Scan from Wikimedia Commons, catalogue record Gallica btv1b9015291n. Brand names on the poster belong to their owners and are never used as font names.
Related posters
Same era, lettering or artist.
