Le Mirliton, no. 20

Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen

May 18, 1894

A May 18, 1894 page from the satirical weekly Le Mirliton, printed with relief halftone illustrations by Théophile‑Alexandre Steinlen, in which the artist uses caricature and typographic layout to lampoon social types for a popular audience.

The large, blocky masthead dominates the top while scattered, woodcut‑like vignettes and short verses—rendered in brisk, dark ink on warm, slightly worn paper—give the sheet a lively, streetwise immediacy.

As an example of the fin‑de‑siècle illustrated press, it demonstrates how Steinlen and his peers brought artistic practice into mass circulation, shaping modern graphic satire, poster art, and the visual language of popular journalism.

Palette

Art Terms

Periodical Relief print Print Ephemera Typography Graphic design

Exhibitions

Symbolism, Synthesists, and the Fin-de-Siècle

1972

Twenty Lithographs: Graphic Art Processes

1941

Women of the Nineties: Fin-de-Siècle Prints

1979

Toulouse-Lautrec Prints and Posters

1933