Lithograph on paper Jules Cheret was not only called the Master of the Poster, but in some circles also the Father of Womens Emancipation. Born into a working class family, he began a lithographic career at the age of thirteen and later created posters for, among others, Folies Bergeres, Theatre de lOpera and the Moulin Rouge. Cheret designed more than a thousand posters that stand out for their spectacular use of color and a minimal amount of text with maximum expressive power. In this way even an illiterate audience could easily understand the message. The women depicted by Cheret, "Cherettes", were not, as was usual in the second half of the nineteenth century, stiff puritans or prostitutes but modern, emancipated women. Full of self confidence and a desire for adventure, they sit behind the wheel of a car while smoking in public. Here they are promoting the use of Benzo-Moteur motor oil. Lithographer CHAIX (Ateliers Cheret) Rue Bergere, 20, Paris (Encres Lorilleux)
