Jules Chéret "La Défense du Drapeau 1880," remastered in the Elliott Best Studio.

This evocative 1880 lithograph by Jules Chéret (1836-1932), titled "La Défense du Drapeau" (Defense of the Flag), represents a poignant moment in French history. Created less than a decade after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), this poster embodies the nation's resilient spirit and determination to restore national pride.

The 1870s and early 1880s were a period of national soul-searching and renewal for France. The humiliating loss to Prussia and the traumatic Paris Commune had shaken French confidence. Chéret's patriotic imagery helped rebuild national identity during the early Third Republic, using the emerging medium of color lithography to reach mass audiences with messages of French valor and resilience.

Every piece in this collection carries a history worth knowing. Read about the golden age of advertising art and the artists who made it.