Le Divan Japonais: Japanomania by Design

Abstract

As one of the primary performance spaces in Paris during the 1890s, the Divan Japonais had several owners who featured the spot in posters advertising what was happening there. The most famous of these was one by Toulouse-Lautrec that has become a recognizable image for the entire locale. Examining the posters that advertised the location from the early 1890s allows us to grasp the changing character of both performances and locale.