Poster thumbnail 1
Poster thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Poster

ca. 1892 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This poster advertises the Cirque d'Eté, one of the purpose-built circus buildings in Paris. A polygonal stone building with sixteen sides, it was designed by the architect Jacques Hittorff (1792-1867) and built in 1841 when it was used as the summer home of the Théâtre Franconi, the equestrian troupe of the Cirque Olympique. The exterior featured ornamental bas-reliefs of horses' heads reflecting the use of the circus for equestrian performances, the interior was decorated in Moorish style, and stables were attached to the north of the building.

The poster reflects the contemporary taste for large, colourful lithograph posters such as those being produced in Paris in the 1890s by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. This poster is by Henry Gray and it features an equestrienne standing on horseback with her robes billowing out around her in imitation of the sensational 'serpentine' dance performed by the American dancer Loie Fuller at the Folies Bergère in 1892.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Printing ink on paper
Brief description
Colour lithograph poster advertising the Cirque D'Eté, Paris, featuring an equestrienne standing on horseback. Lithograph by Henry Gray, printed by Affiches Victor Palyart & Fils, Paris, ca.1892
Physical description
Colour lithograph poster attached to a linen backing, advertising the Cirque d'Eté whose name appears in decorative upper case blue lettering, featuring a woman standing on horseback wearing a flowing diaphanous gown spread out around her, in imitation of the act by Loie Fuller. The brown horse appears to be cantering, and the poster is signed in the stone 'H. Gray' and stamped with a stamp printed 'Republique Française Seine'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 129.4cm
  • Width: 91.5cm
Credit line
Accepted by HM Government in Lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the V&A in 2010
Summary
This poster advertises the Cirque d'Eté, one of the purpose-built circus buildings in Paris. A polygonal stone building with sixteen sides, it was designed by the architect Jacques Hittorff (1792-1867) and built in 1841 when it was used as the summer home of the Théâtre Franconi, the equestrian troupe of the Cirque Olympique. The exterior featured ornamental bas-reliefs of horses' heads reflecting the use of the circus for equestrian performances, the interior was decorated in Moorish style, and stables were attached to the north of the building.

The poster reflects the contemporary taste for large, colourful lithograph posters such as those being produced in Paris in the 1890s by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. This poster is by Henry Gray and it features an equestrienne standing on horseback with her robes billowing out around her in imitation of the sensational 'serpentine' dance performed by the American dancer Loie Fuller at the Folies Bergère in 1892.
Collection
Accession number
S.1214-2012

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Record createdOctober 5, 2012
Record URL
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