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PAUL COLIN (1892-1985) LE TUMULTE NOIR. Portfolio with 22 plates, chemise and original printed wrappers. 1927.
Each plate approximately 18 1/2x13 1/2 inches, 47x34 cm.
Condition varies, generally A-.
The Tumulte Noir is a luxurious portfolio consisting of 42 original lithographs by Colin, all hand-colored in pochoir, an elaborate procedure involving stencils for each different color. It was designed for and sold at the Bal Negre the special, one-night event, which was Colin's brainchild and tribute to the "black craze" of Paris. He also designed an iconic poster for the event. Only 500 copies of the portfolio were printed, and in addition to the images, each includes a facsimile of a letter of introduction written by Josephine Baker, a preface by Rip (the satirist George Thenon), and a sort of calligrame in the shape of a palm tree by Colin. The album is divided into two parts, the first one is dedicated to Josephine Baker and the black musicians and dances. Exquisitely stylized, drawn with a free hand, full of wit, movement, and invention it is Paul Colin at his very best. The second part is a satire of Paris under the spell of the Charleston rage. Following in the steps, of Sem, Colin is cartooning in funny and sometimes cruel satire, the Parisian music hall stars of the moment: Mistinguett, Maurice Chevalier, Cecile Sorel, the Dolly Sisters, as well as the chansonniers Rip and Saint-Granier, a cubist Jean Borlin of the Ballet Suedois, and even the tennis champion Suzanne Lenghen. Le Tumulte Noir is the best album depicting Paris in the throes of the Charleston craze. It is very rare to find this portfolio complete (in addition to the edition of 500, 10 copies were printed on Japan paper and 10 others on Madagascar Vellum), as most existing copies have been broken up.