Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (10 November, 1859 – 13 December, 1923) was a French painter, illustrator, printmaker, and sculptor who was born in Swiss. He attended University of Lausanne before joining the textile industry as a design apprentice in a company based in Mulhouse. In 1881, Steinlen traveled to France where he settled in Montmartre, Paris. He lived and worked there throughout his life. In 1883, he moved to an artist neighborhood where he made friends with Vallaton, Toulouse-Lautrec, Aristide Bruant, and Alphone Allais. During that period, he was still concentrating on his illustration works for local papers such as Le Mirliton and Le Chat Noir. Steinlen undertook his first his exhibition in 1884 at La Bodiniere. In 1885, he created a poster for the Trouville sur Mer-based Hotel de Paris. He followed with several other posters for several other clients, earning him respect from those who saw his works. Steinlen worked commercially for clients for years before establishing a paper, Les Humorists, in 1891 together with fellow artists Leandre and Forain.
His art grew in popularity and quality and had his work displayed at the Salon des Independants in 1893. The work that his displayed covered subjects such as nudes, landscapes, and flowers. More of his art pieces were later displayed regular at the Salon des Humoristes. Because he was very much opposed to World War I, he used his artistic prowess to create art that was against the war. He finally died in 1923, leaving loads of his art. Steinlen’s works are available at the National Gallery of Art Washington DC, USA, and Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. For those who would like framed Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen art for interior decoration or for other purposes, these are also available in diverse galleries globally.