THEOPHILE-ALEXANDRE STEINLEN LAIT PUR STERILISE. 1894. 55 1/4x38 1/2 inches. Charles Verneau, Paris. Condition B-: restored losses, overpainting, repaired tears and creases in margins and image; vertical and horizontal folds. Framed. Born in Switzerland, Steinlen moved to Paris in 1882 and settled in Montmartre where he quickly joined the Chat Noir circle, providing illustrations for many magazines. Anatole France called him "the master of the street" and deemed his work "epic," as his illustrations, born from his personal Socialist and humanist sympathies, found inspiration in the everyday life and miseries of Paris' proletarian communities. His other sources of inspiration were gentler and happier; he adored cats and his daughter, both of whom appear in his most charming posters. He was an excellent draughtsman, and when he teamed up with Charles Verneau, he found a printer and a partner with whom he would produce some of the best posters ever created. In fact, the first poster Verneau printed for Steinlen, which was only the artist's second poster in his "mature style" (Arwas p. 54), Lait Pur Sterilise, instantly became a success and has remained an iconic image of the period. "The poster established Steinlen as a masterful illustrator of cats" (Cate & Gill p. 116). The image is almost deceptively simple, featuring the artist's daughter, Colette, sitting at a table sipping from a bowl of milk, with three cats at her feet hoping for a single spilled drop. It is a delicate image, beautifully drawn on stone with a "flowing curvilinearality" (Cates & Gill p. 122). For the drawing Steinlen did not use any black for outlining, but rather green, which added to the soft feel of the image. The image was so popular that it was reprinted the following year under the auspices of Bella, the London collector, for Nestle's Swiss Milk. Crauzat p. 134, Baargiel & Zagrodski p. 40, Maitres p. 54. Masters, pl. 95, Wine Spectator pl. 112.
