La Cigale c.1898 by Jules-Alexandre Grün – Iconic Belle Époque Paris Cabaret & Theatre Poster

La Cigale – A Spirited Belle Époque Parisian Theater Poster by Jules-Alexandre Grün

Step into the lively world of Belle Époque entertainment with this remarkable 1898 poster for the celebrated Parisian music hall La Cigale, created by French painter and illustrator Jules-Alexandre Grün.

Advertising the theatrical revue Pour Qui Vote-t-on?, the design captures the humor, spectacle, fashion, music, and political satire that made the cabarets and music halls of fin-de-siècle Paris such vibrant centers of popular culture.

The title across the top translates approximately as “Who Are We Voting For?” Presented at La Cigale as a revue in two acts and six tableaux by Henri Fursy, the production appears to have combined topical humor and electoral satire with music, dance, costumes, and theatrical spectacle.

A glamorous female performer dominates the foreground. Seen from behind, she wears a revealing red-and-black stage costume decorated with long ribbons, bows, and enormous crimson flowers in her hair.

A stringed instrument rests against her side, signaling the musical character of the performance. Its rounded body and visible strings add another diagonal to the already energetic composition.

The performer looks toward a smiling bearded gentleman in formal evening attire. He holds a small paper marked with a price, while additional signs and ballots introduce the imagery of voting and ticket sales.

Behind them, a procession of caricatured men in top hats, bowlers, monocles, formal suits, and official-looking decorations watches the scene. Their exaggerated expressions reinforce the production’s satirical treatment of politics, public life, and social convention.

At the upper left, another performer raises her skirt beside a large panel marked with the number 100. The image contributes to the crowded theatrical atmosphere and suggests that the revue moved rapidly between comic scenes, songs, dance numbers, and visual jokes.

Grün fills the poster with overlapping figures, signs, costumes, typography, and performance details. Rather than constructing an orderly stage scene, he creates the impression of a lively collage in which entertainers, politicians, patrons, ballots, and promotional notices compete for attention.

The color palette is dominated by black, red, cream, muted green, and brown. Brilliant red flowers, ribbons, lettering, and clothing emerge dramatically from the dark background, giving the image tremendous visual impact.

Large irregular La Cigale lettering fills the bottom of the composition. The hand-drawn typography feels as animated and unconventional as the figures above it, reinforcing the poster’s bohemian music-hall character.

Located in Montmartre, La Cigale became one of Paris’s best-known entertainment venues. Posters such as this helped create the visual identity of the district’s theaters, cabarets, cafés-concerts, performers, and satirical revues.

This museum-grade reproduction is an exceptional choice for collectors of Belle Époque posters, Parisian cabaret art, La Cigale memorabilia, Jules-Alexandre Grün artwork, French theater history, political satire, Montmartre nightlife, and vintage music imagery.

Display it in a home bar, cocktail lounge, theater room, music room, restaurant, café, library, office, entertainment space, boutique, or Paris-inspired interior. Its dense composition and bold colors make it an endlessly engaging conversation piece.

Why Collectors Love This Print

• Created by celebrated French illustrator Jules-Alexandre Grün
• Advertises the historic Paris music hall La Cigale
• Promotes the satirical revue Pour Qui Vote-t-on?
• Features a glamorous female performer with a stringed instrument
• Includes caricatured gentlemen, top hats, ballots, and theatrical signs
• Captures the political humor of Belle Époque entertainment
• Bold palette of black, red, cream, green, and brown
• Excellent example of late-19th-century Parisian poster design
• Combines theater, music, fashion, comedy, and political satire
• Evokes the bohemian atmosphere of Montmartre nightlife
• Appeals to collectors of French cabaret and music-hall memorabilia
• Ideal for bars, lounges, theaters, cafés, and music rooms
• Makes a distinctive gift for performers and theater enthusiasts
• Creates an energetic focal point in eclectic interiors
• Available in multiple fine-art, framed, canvas, and metal formats

Available Print & Display Options

• Fine Art Prints
• Framed Fine Art Prints
• Gallery-Wrapped Canvas
• Black Floater Frame Canvas
• White Floater Frame Canvas
• Brown Floater Frame Canvas
• Natural Floater Frame Canvas
• Metal Prints

Choose a fine-art print for traditional framing, a finished framed presentation, textured canvas, or a vivid metal print to emphasize the poster’s intense red accents, deep black background, and animated typography.

Artwork Details

• Title: La Cigale – Pour Qui Vote-t-on?
• Artist: Jules-Alexandre Grün
• Date: 1898
• Country: France
• Location: Montmartre, Paris
• Venue: La Cigale
• Production: Pour Qui Vote-t-on?
• Writer or Revue Creator: Henri Fursy
• Production Format: Revue in two acts and six tableaux
• Artwork Type: Vintage French music hall, cabaret, and theater poster
• Primary Subject: Female performer facing a formally dressed gentleman
• Secondary Imagery: Stringed instrument, red flowers, ribbons, top hats, monocles, ballots, signs, tickets, caricatured spectators, and additional performer
• Style: Belle Époque, theatrical caricature, and French commercial lithography
• Dominant Colors: Black, crimson red, cream, muted green, brown, white, and gray
• Mood: Theatrical, humorous, bohemian, satirical, energetic, and sophisticated
• Recommended Spaces: Home bars, cocktail lounges, theater rooms, music rooms, cafés, restaurants, libraries, offices, boutiques, and entertainment spaces

Disclaimer

This artwork is a Museum Grade Reproduction of a Historical advertising poster.

This listing is for a decorative reproduction and not the original 1898 lithograph. Minor variations in color, cropping, scale, and reproduced texture may occur according to the selected size, material, and display format.

The political and social imagery appearing in this poster reflects the subject and satire of its original historical theatrical production and does not represent a present-day political endorsement by Yesterday’s Posters.

Yesterday’s Posters is an independent seller and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Jules-Alexandre Grün, Henri Fursy, La Cigale, any associated theater company, estate, institution, venue operator, or rights holder.