ADOLPH A. WILLETTE (1857-1926) CACAO VAN HOUTEN. 1893. 76 x 26 inches. Belfond & Co., Paris. Condition B: restored losses, expert overpainting, repaired tears and creases in image. Two-sheets. Willette, a prodigious illustrator, was one of the first artists to settle in the Montmartre district, where he was instrumental in creating that neighborhood's image and reputation. In addition to organizing festive artistic events and balls, he also helped animate and decorate some of the district's most notable nightclubs and cabarets, such as the Chat Noir. He founded the group Humoristes, and his monochromatic illustrations appeared in publications all over Paris. For Van Houten cocoa he abandoned his monochromatic style and created a colorful image of a traditionally clad Dutch woman serving a cup of hot chocolate. She is standing against a typical Art Nouveau background of stylized cocoa leaves. Although fundamentally different from his small black and white illustrations, this poster became a huge success in Paris, culminating with its inclusion in the Maitres de l'Affiche. DFP II 884, Maitres 43, Wember 787, Chocolate p. 35.
