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Artists such as Sem, Lautrec and Cheret effectively captured the movement, the atmosphere and romance of indoor ice-skating, a very popular pastime in Paris at the turn of the century, with the Palais de Glace, on the Champs Elysees, in Paris being the most famous venue of the day.

Palais de Glace des Champs Elysses ca. 1900

King Louis XVI of France brought ice skating to Paris during his reign. Madame de Pompadour, Napoleon I, Napoleon III, and the House of Stuart were, among others, royal and upper class fans of ice skating. "... posters for this popular establishment, (The Palais de Glace) always with a delightful young woman in the spotlight.... What we learn from all the designs is that women where able to enjoy indoor skating in full street clothes, including elaborate hats, coats, and capes" (Gold p.90)

Under the pseudonym "Sem" Georges Goursat attained a high level of success with his wonderful portrayals of Paris at the turn of the Century. He captured the spirit of the subject and in turn produced images that were true to life. His works offer us glimpses into Parisian high society at the turn of the Century.

Pochoir, French for stencil, defines a technique of print making popular in France in the early 1900s. It is a labor intensive process of applying brilliant color by hand using a series of cutout stencils. Each plate is an original print using up to thirty stencils in one image. All are hand colored and most are signed in the plate by the illustrator.