TH.A. STEINLEN
The Swiss illustrator Steinlen, trained as textile designer, went to Paris to work for a textile factory. In the cafés and cabarets of Montmartre, notably Le Chat Noir, he met writers and artists with radical views on art and politics, like Emile Zola and Aristide Bruant. Steinlen became a member of their circles, and started creating illustrations for their publications. His moving realistic depictions of everyday life of ordinary people in the big city made him extremely popular. Steinlen was very productive as well: for the weekly magazine Gil Blas alone, he created 700 front and back covers. This and other magazines were inexpensive and read by a large audience.
In 1893-1894, Steinlen worked for the weekly Le Chambard Socialiste. Here he could openly show his left-wing convictions through biting images of capitalists, policemen and struggling workers that are among Steinlen's best work. The images are both realistic and symbolic. While the strong workers and rebellious women are based on actual observation, they also represent the Proletariat and Revolution.
The cartoons for Le Chambard were also published in deluxe editions as lithographs on high quality paper. The covers of the magazine, which were of cheap paper and coarser printing, have a certain roughness that better matches the images.