"Among Cheret's earlier clients were publishers of newspapers, magazines and books. In the case of books, some of the earliest of which he also illustrated, Cheret selects a highlight, often a tensely dramatic scene, and depicts it in a straight illustrative style. A great many novels were published in this era on the instalment plan, either in papers or magazines, or thin booklets appearing on a weekly basis. Altogether, Cheret prepared some 120 posters for them, starting sometime in the late 1860's. They were an important source of income for him during the years when he struggled to establish his reputation. For us these posters show Cheret's growth as a posterist before he settled down to the light-hearted style of his frolicking fairies" (Rennert, PAI-VIII)