Publieke Vrouw – Charles Verschuuren, 1920

POSTER FOR POPULAR THEATRE

“Publieke Vrouw” [Public Woman], colour lithograph designed by Charles Verschuuren and printed in 1920 by Drukkerij Kotting in Amsterdam. Size: approx. 106 × 75 cm.

Publieke Vrouw was a melodramatic play/operetta based on the Parisian Apache subculture of the early 20th century. The story centers around a young woman—the “public woman”—who becomes entangled in the criminal underbelly of Paris. Across five acts unfolds a gritty drama full of crime, passion, and retribution: the protagonist is abandoned by her lover, ends up on the streets, and becomes involved in a murder. The story then shifts to a notorious Apache den—an underground tavern frequented by gangsters. In the end, “the downfall of an Apache” brings justice and closes the tragic circle. Themes of seduction, redemption, and the harsh reality of women in the criminal world are central to the work.

The play belonged to a theatrical genre known as ‘Apache drama’ – a blend of crime melodrama and popular operetta – interwoven with numerous songs and dance numbers. Its tone was emotional and compelling, comparable to other folk dramas of the time in which a fallen woman is portrayed with sympathy, and the villains inevitably meet their fate.

Publieke Vrouw premiered on May 29, 1920, at the Plantage Schouwburg in Amsterdam, performed by the Jacques Sluyters Ensemble, and was an immediate success with audiences. Theatregoers relished the combination of melodrama and sensation within an exotic criminal milieu. The play was performed night after night to sold-out houses. A newspaper advertisement from June 1920 praised its “enormous success” and noted that due to overwhelming demand, advance reservations were “strongly recommended.”

The poster was distributed in Amsterdam by Drukkerij Kotting, a thriving printing house specializing in advertising work and closely connected to the theatrical world. Artist Charles Verschuuren (1891–1955) joined Kotting in 1915 and quickly made his mark. Through his use of bold colours, strong shadows, and expressive perspective, he created striking and often cartoonish visuals. His work was designed to be immediately eye-catching and to evoke the mood of the production.

The poster shows a smirking Apache gangster, cigarette in mouth, clutching a young woman close to him – hinting at a doomed romance in the criminal quarters of Paris.

A few years later, an art critic would write about Verschuuren: “He paints with great humor. He is able to combine any subject with a keen sense of the comic, an instinctively artistic use of color, and often a touch of refined poetry. These are works that put the viewer at ease while also eliciting both delight and contemplation.”

Price: Euro 1.250,- (incl. frame)