The herald., 1897-02-25
PURSUIT OF THE POSTER
Ladies OF the EbeIi Club as Living
Advertisements
A Pleasant and instructive Evenirg-Jas. D
Scott's interesting Dissertation
on Posters

There was not as large an audience
present at the poster entertainment CIV
en- last even al Music hall by the Ebell
society as it deserved. The fact that 1t
followed so closely on a similar enter
tainmeat given by the ladies Of ST.
Paul's guild last week doubtless inter-
fered somewhat with its attraction, and
the attendance did not more than half
fill the hall. The walls were decorated
with a large variety of posters arranged
effectively in groups, loaned from the
collections of Mr.. Charles Knight, Mr..
| Benjamin A. Rogers, Mrs. J. D. Hook
er and Mrs. A. E. Horton. In appreci-
| alton of the courtesy shown the society
by the papers of the city in reporting its
meetings, special prominence was given
to their posters. On long panel on the
right of the stage those of The Herald
were arranged, with the Fiesta poster
Of 1897 at the top.
The first tableau of living posters on
i the stage was the famous toadstool, is
sued for the August number of ST. Mich
| olas. The little people representing the
| figures in this were Ruth Denim and
| Frank Simpson. The poster for the
Mrs. George Steckel Puritan maiden
| in a clinging crimson empire gown
| against a black background. The
Santa Barbara floral festival poster for
| 1896 was represented by Miss May Bleek-
er. This was young woman in yellow,
holding a white apron filled with yellow
poppies. with a panel of the same flow
| ers across the lower part of the picture.
This was especially lovely and, like the
| little people in the first one, was en-
Enthusiastically encored.
| Colgate's cashmere bouquet poster, a
| young girl in a white picture hat, was
represented by Miss Julia Mercereau.
| The Goodrich tire poster, two negroes on
| bicycle. was personated by Mr.. Tom
| Lee and Mr.. Irwin Heron on Colum-
| bia tandem. The Los Angeles Fiesta
poster for 1897, the last one on the pro-
gram, was represented by Miss Quinn.
| While not quite an accurate duplicate OF
| the original it made an effective tableau
and was loudly encored.
| AT the conclusion of the living posters
MI James B. Scott gave an interesting
talk on the art and development of the
| modern poster. Up to the year 1866, said
the speaker. advertising was done with
out art. In that year Jules Cheret a
| Frenchman, conceived the idea of pro-
| ducing an artistic advertisement COM
| bning harmony of color with correct
ness Of outline He confined himself at
| first TO the lighter side of French life
as portrayed in the opera, opera bouffe,
the theater and the Quarter Latin.
Cheret was photographer by profession,
| and has since become great artist. He
has been eminently successful in poster
| art. having drawn more than one thous-
| and designs since 1866.
| The second great name Is that Of
| Grasset, an artist by profession who
| filled in his spare moments in poster
| designing. With him art is the essence,
advertising the origin and incident One
| Of the best known of Grasset's posters
is the Napoleon in Egypt, painted for
! the Century company. The present
great masters in poster art in France
are Toulouse-Lautree and Steinlen. The
latter is famous for his cats and poster
Of Nam selle Yvette Guilbert The pos
ter in England is more recent, the better
work of which consists of limitations Of
Cheret. Aubrey Beardsley secured tenn
porary popularity by crudeness of out
| line and werdness Of subject, but his
vogue is fast giving way to veritable ar
| lists American posters consisted In the
beginning of pictures, and more recently
| of limitations of Beardsley The present
| leaders of the movement are appealing
more directly to the French influence
and the natural object. This is espec-
tally true of Penfield, Rhead, Ethel Reed
and Bradley. The poster is of great SER
| vice in bringing art down into the street.
| The entertainment concluded with a
| bright one-act operetta, "The New
Maid" given by Mrs. Lillian West Fruh-
ling and Miss Isabel Morgan. The liv-
J ing posters were presented under the
/ direction of Miss Katherine Casey and
| Mrs Mason