Bidspirit auction | ”The Traitor” - Antisemitic Poster

”The Traitor” - Antisemitic Poster - Alfred Dreyfus - ”Monsters Exhibition” - Le Traître!. Poster No. 6 from the Musée des Horreurs series [”Monsters Exhibition” / ”Museum of Horrors”]. Paris, [1899-1900]. French. Hand-painted lithographic print depicting Alfred Dreyfus as a monster with a dragon body with aggressive snake heads. In the center of the dragon's sticks a sword, with the inscription: ”Le Traitre!” [The Traitor !, French]. Signed in print by V. Lenepveu. The poster was issued in November 1899 (About two months after Dreyfus was pardoned). The series “Exposition des Monstres” (“Exhibition of the Monsters”) was published during the Dreyfus Affair under the pseudonym V. Lenepveu, and comprised 51 large posters featuring anti-Dreyfusard, antisemitic, and anti-Masonic illustrations. The series was published in France over the course of about a year, from October 1899 to December 1900. The original plan was to issue 200 posters, but only 51 were ultimately produced. The earliest posters in the series were sold in over 300,000 copies. In October 1899, French police arrested several street vendors selling posters from the series, under the orders of Police Chief Louis Lépine. According to certain reports, Lépine ordered the cessation of distribution following a request from Baron de Rothschild, who claimed the damage caused by their circulation was irreversible. In February 1900, local police sent letters threatening to revoke the business licenses of shop owners who sold the posters, and from that point, their distribution ceased. 50×65 cm. Minor edge tears. Good condition.