THEOPHILE-ALEXANDRE STEINLEN (1859-1923) LE JOURNAL / LA TRAITE DES BLANCHES. 1899. 75x471/4 inches. Charle Verneanu, Paris. Condition A-: repaired tears in margins. Two sheets. Framed. This poster is for a serialized form of a scandalous novel (with a socially correct theme) called "White Slavery," which ferociously denounced the prostitution trade. It was just the kind of project that Steinlen could use to express his progressive political sensitivity in an artistic manner. Steinlen, who shared the views of the author, Dubut de la Foret, created a fantastic and powerful poster. With the attention, detail and care of an accomplished illustrator he depicts a fat, pretentious pimp ignoring three of his women. In fact, his poster was too powerful, incurring the full wrath of the Parisian censors, who were enraged at the exposed breasts of a working girl. Steinlen had experienced minor problems with censorship before, when he printed the poster for his exhibition at La Bodiniere, in 1894, on white paper (which was legally reserved for official state postings) but that was nothing compared to the tempest aroused by La Traite Blanche. Crauzat no. 503, Bargiel & Zagrodski p. 59, Wine Spectator, pl. 111.
