La Traite des Blanches 1899

This poster, "La Traite des Blanches" by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, uses lithography to create an arresting image advertising a newspaper. Its visual power lies in the stark contrast between the figures and the text, drawing our eyes into its complex narrative. The composition is structured around a hierarchy of figures. At the top, we see a well-dressed man, perhaps a bourgeois, alongside two women, one partially nude. Below them, a woman lies prone on a red surface, her face buried in her arms. Steinlen uses contrasting lines – the sharp, angular lines of the man’s suit against the flowing lines of the women’s hair – to suggest different social positions. The poster engages with contemporary anxieties about morality and exploitation. The title, "La Traite des Blanches" which translates to "The White Slave Trade", uses the cultural codes of the time. It challenges fixed meanings about innocence and corruption by destabilizing traditional artistic representations of women. The red background highlights the tensions between sensationalism and social commentary, a reflection of the newspaper’s own balancing act.