An Exhibition of Exquisite Pictures
Child in old-time chocolate pictures (1875 - 1915)
From 5th October 2011 to 11th March 2012.
The "Exquisite pictures" exhibition is proposed in two different places simultaneously: the Doll Museum in Paris and the gourmet chocolate museum, Choco-Story in Paris where a selection of the most beautiful colour prints of the ODIN collection can be seen on display.
These two complementary exhibitions present pictures of children playing with dolls for the Paris Doll Museum and pictures of chocolate-makers represented by children dating between 1875 and 1915 for the gourmet chocolate museum, Choco-Story.
The images on display are colour lithographs created using a printing technique that preceded full colour print: lithography. In lithography the image is etched on a plate and each colour has a separate impression. As many as 20 colours can be used including golds and silvers. The outline was only applied to cuttings and followed the outline of the silhouette of the subject. Colour lithographs were used for advertising purposes, offered to consumers when they bought products, exchanged for points accumulated on purchases or given as decorative cards. |
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The exhibition at the gourmet chocolate museum, Choco-Story, presents French chocolate-makers from 1875 to 1915, amongst which the most prolific are Guérin-Boutron, Louit, Magniez-Baussart, Masson, Payraud and Poulain.
The period covered by the exhibition coincides with the period when colour prints had reached their best esthetic quality.
Chocolate-makers offered colour prints as publicity presents or gave them to clients when they purchased a certain number of products.
Between the two wars, chocolate-makers used to publish albums that consumers could complete themselves. Gradually other advertising media replaced colour prints that up until then were the main publicity tool. The chocolate industry widely used the theme of childhood and its aesthetics in advertising. The exhibition is witness to both hand-made and semi-industrial expertise reflecting the society of yesteryear.
The exhibition is divided into two parts. The first part consists of a display of ancient dolls and colour prints. The second part consists of a display of colour prints sorted by chocolate-maker and ends with a slide show of a selection of the most beautiful colour prints on this theme belonging to the Odin collection.
The exhibition at the Paris Doll Museum shows evidence of the mimicry between children and dolls in the XIXth century and the fact that the doll was inseparable from the universe of childhood.
The resemblance between the two in the colour prints of this period is quite marked. Not only do children appear to be as good and attractive as the dolls, but the dolls are modeled on beautiful children.
Indeed, the dolls pictured in the colour lithographs are not realistic representations of dolls of the period, but rather an idealistic interpretation.
The end of the golden age of colour lithographs coincides with the First World War. Of course it was during this period between the two wars that aesthetics were fundamentally changed when the swirls of Art Nouveau were replaced by the simple straight lines of Art Deco. It was also at this time that the image of the child was modernized according to the new precepts of dress and education.
Dolls, colour lithographs and iconography of the period can be found together on display at the exhibition along with various objects inspired by the former, such as indoor and outdoor games, school, Christmas and so on.
COMBINED TICKET FOR THE Exquisite Pictures EXHIBITION
Purchase a combined ticket and visit the two exhibitions presented at the Paris Doll Museum and at the gourmet chocolate museum, Choco-Story.
The combined ticket is on sale in both museums and valid for one visit of each exhibition between the 5th October 2011 and 11th March 2012.
Single price giving access to both museums: 14 €
Gourmet chocolate museum: Choco-Story, 28 Bd Bonne Nouvelle, 75010 Paris. www.museeduchocolat.fr
The Paris Doll Museum: Impasse Berthaud, 75003 Paris. www.museedelapoupeeparis.com
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE: Exquisite pictures by Samy Odin
The book is in two languages (French and English) and contains a selection of colour lithographs that are on display at both museums: pictures of chocolate-makers represented by children dating between 1875 and 1915 on display at the gourmet chocolate museum, Choco-Story, and pictures of children playing with dolls on display at the Paris Doll Museum.
The book is on sale in the museum boutiques and also available by correspondence from 4th October 2011. Number of pages: 80; format 21 x 30; price 30 € (not including shipping)