Théophile Steinlen’s 1896 lithograph Tournée du Chat Noir de Rodolphe Salis, commonly abbreviated to Le Chat Noir, is a classic example of late-nineteenth-century French advertisement. The artisans who were commissioned for posters, labels, and other ads approached their work as proper art, and have therefore been preserved within the canon of Western art ever since. Publicizing the famous Parisian cabaret of the same name, Steinlen’s iconic cat is an archetypical specimen of Art Nouveau advertisements. The bohemian cabaret, located in the historic neighborhood of Montmartre, was frequented by such figures as Claude Debussy, Paul Signac, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Verlaine, Jane Avril, and other cultural favorites of fin-de-siècle Paris. The familiar grin and curling tail of the Chat Noir make it one of the most beloved posters in the history of advertisement.
