The Online Hermann-Paul Project

Description: This color lithograph is one of the earliest known published works by Hermann-Paul. Its style owes much to Toulouse-Lautrec and the artists around him. Here we see the colors and textures that would define his lithography during the 1890s.

H-P would draw on a stone with lithographic crayon. After the material was fixed to the stone, he washed the whole thing with water. The greasy image repelled the water which dampened the bare stone. Then Hermann-Paul would apply printers ink to the stone. Since water repels grease, the ink sat only on the image area. After the stone was inked, Hermann-Paul would lay paper on the stone and apply pressure with a roller. He repeated the process for multiple colors.

Description: This color lithograph depicts the nightmares 1890s travel. After nearly two decades of economic expansion, more Parisians were able to travel than ever before. The result was long lines and large crowds.

This work contains lovely texture and whimsical lines. Sure, the artist complains about the nightmare of travel but you'll find yourself chuckling as he recounts his vacation. It's a fine example of 1890s lithographic art. This work appeared in La Escarmouche.

Description: Color lithograph, 9-3/4 x 13-7/8 (248 mm x 352 mm) Edition of 100 each signed by the artist

Description: This black and white lithograph features a young couple as they embark by train for a honeymoon.

Description: Color lithograph poster for the seventh Salon des Cent

Description: This work was dated by various auction houses to 1895. If it's accurate, this is a rare and very early wood cut by Hermann-Paul. Because of its rarity, it generally sells for twice as much as comparable prints from the 1920s. It's currently dated in the catalog to 1895. While I can't disprove the auction listings, I have serious doubts about their accuracy.

Description: Color lithograph on vellum. The work features a stenographers pool of identically dressed young ladies.

Description: Hermann-Paul was a familiar face in left-wing circles during the 1890s. His work appeared in anarchist weeklies and left-of-center newspapers. Here we find a promotional poster for a novel by anarchist Sebastien Faure. It is characterized by bold a bold red set against yellow and black. The composition draws the eye nicely to the text. circa 1898

Description: This color lithograph is an iconic poster from Belle Époque France. The yellow background reminds one of Jules Chéret while in the foreground one sees the large blocks of color favored by Toulouse-Latrec. Hermann-Paul adds a bold lilac to Latrec's basic palette and features it prominently in the foreground. It is was a modern print.

Description: This is an advertising poster for the People's Theater on Avenue de Clichy in Paris. It was opened by Henri Beaulieu, a popular stage actor, on November 14, 1903. The theater was an avant-garde experiment. Its seats were very inexpensive. They ranged from fifty centimes to two francs and a hundred tickets were distributed each week to poor children and workingman's societies.

Unfortunately, success did not follow this noble experiment. The Bourgeoisie were reluctant to attend shows for which they could not reserve seats. Others were repelled by its low ticket prices. "How good could it be if its seats are so cheap?" But the worst enemies of the People's Theater were the people themselves. "M. Beaulieu, we're as good as the bourgeois, you know!"