VARIOUS ARTISTS MAÎTRES DE L'AFFICHE. Two volumes. 1896-97. Each plate approximately 15 1/4x11 inches, 39x28 cm. Chaix, Paris. Condition varies, generally B+ / A-. The Maîtres de l'Affiche (Masters of the Poster) were small format reproductions of what were ostensibly the best and most famous posters from around Europe and America, as selected by the famous critic (and poster supporter) Roger Marx. They were printed by the Chaix publishing house as a concession to the growing craze of poster collecting at the end of the 19th-century. Every month between 1896-1900, while the Maîtres were being published, subscribers would receive four new plates. Each plate is a full color lithograph printed on high quality paper. The complete series consists of 256 images. The appeal of the Maîtres was, and remains, their small, easy-to-collect format. These are the complete first two volumes (of five) featuring plates 1 to 96.
