Théophile Alexandre Steinlen

About Steinlen's Art Nouveau Posters

Theophile Alexandre Steinlen arrived in Paris from Lausanne in 1881 and quickly embedded himself in the bohemian life of Montmartre. His lithographs and poster designs captured the neighbourhood's cafes, cabarets, and streets with an immediacy that set him apart from more decorative Art Nouveau contemporaries. Where Mucha created ornamental fantasy, Steinlen drew what he saw: working-class Parisians, stray cats, cabaret performers, and the gritty energy of a district that was equal parts artistic haven and urban poverty. His most iconic work, the Tournee du Chat Noir poster, remains one of the most recognised images in graphic art history — a sleek black cat against a warm background that distils the spirit of Montmartre into a single, unforgettable silhouette.

Steinlen's commercial poster work was never merely commercial. He brought the same compositional intelligence and observational sharpness to advertising lithographs that he applied to his gallery prints and illustrations for radical newspapers. The result is poster art that functions as both design and social document — visually striking from across a room, rich with character and atmosphere up close. For more Art Nouveau poster art, browse our Art Nouveau prints collection, or explore Alphonse Mucha's more ornamental approach to the same era.

Choosing the Right Format

Steinlen's bold outlines and flat colour areas look striking in both formats. Fine art paper prints in A3, 50x70cm, 70x100cm, and A0 reproduce the crisp linework and lithographic texture with full precision — the 225g matte surface suits the graphic, poster-like quality of the originals. Black frames enhance the contrast and give the prints a contemporary gallery feel; oak frames add warmth that complements the earthy colour palette of his cabaret posters. Canvas prints in 30x40cm, 50x70cm, and 70x100cm add a textile depth that softens the graphic edges slightly, creating a more painterly presentation. The 400g cotton canvas works particularly well for the Chat Noir poster, where the warm tones and bold silhouette benefit from the added surface texture. An optional floating frame provides a clean gallery finish with a visible shadow gap.

Steinlen in Your Home

The Chat Noir poster is a natural statement piece for living rooms, hallways, and home offices — instantly recognisable and endlessly stylish. For a curated wall mixing Parisian poster art, pair Steinlen with Toulouse-Lautrec's cabaret prints or with our broader vintage poster collection. Cat lovers will find the Chat Noir poster pairs well with works from our cat art prints collection for a feline-themed gallery wall with real art-historical weight.

All prints are produced in our Berlin studio using archival pigment inks rated for 100+ years.