◇ Winter Circus

This late 19th-century lithograph captures the ethereal verticality of a performance at Paris’s famed Cirque d’Hiver. The composition centers on a solitary aerialist suspended in a moment of weightless grace, set against a backdrop of the Parisian skyline and a distant tethered balloon. Rendered in a palette of dusty rose, ochre, and muted slate, the piece evokes the atmospheric twilight of the Belle Époque, balancing the thrill of the spectacle with a quiet, almost celestial serenity.

Why We Picked It
The artwork’s enduring appeal lies in its sophisticated use of negative space and its departure from the chaotic, high-energy imagery typically associated with circus advertisements. The artist utilizes a woodcut-inspired technique that prioritizes bold silhouettes and flat planes of color over intricate shading, a hallmark of the transition into early modernism. This specific print is valued for its ability to anchor a room with a "soft surrealism" mood—a major 2026 design movement—offering a sense of escapism that feels both historic and avant-garde.

Notable Context
Commissioned around 1890, this work represents a pivotal era for the Cirque d’Hiver (originally the Cirque Napoléon), which had recently solidified its reputation as the epicenter of Parisian nightlife. During this period, the circus was a primary muse for titans of art history, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Seurat, who were fascinated by the intersection of artificial light, athletic movement, and the emerging middle-class leisure culture. The inclusion of the hot air balloon in the background reflects the era's obsession with early aviation and the "conquest of the sky," grounding the performance in the technological optimism of the late 19th century.

About the Publisher: Morris Père et Fils
Founded in Paris, the printing house of Morris Père et Fils was instrumental in the evolution of the French street poster. Specializing in high-quality color lithography and woodcut prints, they were the preferred printers for the city's grandest theaters and circuses. Their work is characterized by a "graphic clarity" that allowed advertisements to function as public art, eventually leading to their preservation in major institutions like the Musée Carnavalet and the Library of Congress.