For the "Oeuvres Choisis" bill, together with that designed to advertise an illustrated edition of Balzac's "Philosophie de la Vie Conjugale," something over a hundred francs is asked, while less important works can be obtained for five-and-twenty or thirty francs. It goes without saying that the smallest tear or other injury, however neatly and skilfully repaired, heavily discounts the value of works by Gavarni and the men of his time; but even slightly damaged examples are eagerly sought for, as it is almost impossible to obtain perfect ones. Of the productions of Edouard de Beaumont, two of the rarest are the "Nains Celebres," already mentioned, and the "Diable Amoureux." For an exceptionally fine proof of the former, as much as a hundred francs has been asked, while the latter, which is very rare, commands about sixty francs. Sums scarcely less formidable are given for the better posters of Grandville, and fifty francs for a good Tony Johannot is not by any means an exceptional price, although unimportant specimens of his work may be picked up in Paris for a few sous. The excursions of Gustave Dore into the art of the poster were very few. His most important work was perhaps the "Legende du Juif Errant," a fine proof of which realizes sixty francs or more. Posters by Vivant Beauce, Castelli, Cham, Victor Coindre, Charles Devrits, H. Emy, A. Farcy, and others of the same period, for the most part command sums comparatively small; the best productions of Bertall, Calame, Monnier, and C. Nanteuil, on the other hand, are only a little less expensive than those of Gavarni and the more distinguished designers of his time. Of posters by designers still living, those of Cheret have been most assiduously collected. It is probable that a complete set of his works does not exist; even one which is fairly representative, and includes some of his earlier and rarer _affiches_, is extremely valuable. In the Sagot catalogue of 1891, over five hundred and fifty posters by Cheret are described, and of these no less than eighty are priced at twenty francs or more. Since the publication of the catalogue, their value has steadily increased, and it is uncertain if many of them can now be procured at all. The collector of modest means need not, however, regret that the older and rarer examples of Cheret are beyond his reach, for the artist's more recent posters are the best that he has accomplished. For a comparatively small outlay, one may secure the flower of Cheret's work. Amongst the most valuable of his posters are two, of very large size, designed to advertise some Arabs who appeared with the Paris Hippodrome when it visited London in 1887. The price asked for them is over two pounds. They seem to have escaped the attention of French collectors from the fact that they were posted exclusively in London. The set of four [Illustration: 0386]