Alfred Choubrac

Alfred Choubrac (December 30, 1853-July 25, 1902) was a French painter, illustrator, draftsman, poster artist and costume designer. With Jules Cheret, he is considered to be a pioneer of the modern colored and illustrated poster of the Belle Epoque in France, particularly in Paris. Choubrac was born in Montmartre and was trained, with his older brother, as a classical artist at the Ecole des Beaux Arts by painters Charles Doerr and Isidore Pils. The Choubrac brothers began making posters early in their career; from 1875, they used modern color and typographic techniques, combined with graphics, using chromolithography. In the early 1870s, the Choubracs and Jules Cheret introduced technical advances and reduced the cost of color lithography and the color poster gained significance as a means of promotion and advertisement. After the death of his brother, Alfred went on to produce an impressive number of posters for Parisian entertainers, theatres, businesses, and commercial products. Choubrac specialized in posters for shows of the Parisian nightlife. With Cheret and Toulouse-Lautrec Choubrac was among the most important poster artists of the Belle Epoque. His most famous poster is Au Joyeux Moulin Rouge. In 1891, several of Choubrac's posters were considered to be a violation of public decency and he was brought to court along with the printers. Later, he became known for his designs for costumes for the theatre. Choubrac illustrated several books of the novelist Emile Zola. In 1884, the Choubrac brothers were among the subjects of the first poster exhibition in Paris as well as a show in New York in 1890. It is estimated that Choubrac drew more than four hundred posters for theatres, novel, and industry products before he switched to the design of theatrical costumes. Alfred Choubrac died in July 1902.