Paris Travel Poster: Exposition de l’habitation by Imprimerie Chaix, 1903

Exposition de l’habitation. curieuse exposition d’habitations à bon marché by Imp. Chaix (1903) captures the optimism and ingenuity of Belle Époque Paris, where art, industry, and daily life intertwined. Printed by the renowned Imprimerie Chaix of 20 Rue Bergère, the poster announces an exhibition devoted to affordable housing—an issue at the forefront of turn-of-the-century urban life. Its Art Nouveau spirit is unmistakable: flowing lines, animated figures in period dress, and a lively cityscape of imaginative dwellings that speak to both social progress and Paris’s love of elegant design.

This listing offers a meticulous fine art reproduction of the original poster, available as your choice of museum-grade giclée on acid-free archival paper or gallery-wrapped artist’s cotton canvas. The Unique Maps Co. provides a range of sizes to suit home or office, with optional framing in hand-finished wood. Personalization—such as adding a dedication, date, or location—can be included on request, and custom sizing is available to fit your exact space.

Imprimerie Chaix was one of Paris’s premier lithographic houses, celebrated for elevating commercial posters into collectible art. Best known for publishing and printing iconic Belle Époque imagery—among them the influential Les Maîtres de l’Affiche series—Chaix worked with leading illustrators and advertisers to set the standard for color lithography. A Chaix imprint instantly signals quality: crisp linework, confident color, and the refined typographic sensibility that defined the era’s streetscapes.

This poster’s subject is unusually compelling: a “curious exhibition of low-cost homes” presented with wit and warmth. In the early 1900s, Paris was grappling with questions of urban growth, hygiene, and access to dignified housing; exhibitions like this brought design innovation to the public. The artwork celebrates architectural variety—cottages, compact townhouses, and inventive façades—while depicting convivial crowds exploring the possibilities. It’s a rare piece of visual culture that marries social reform with showmanship, making it especially meaningful for lovers of architecture, planning, and Parisian history.

Visually, the composition sings in a bold palette dominated by sunny yellow, grounded by deep blues and energized by accents of rich red. Angular rooftops and neatly drawn façades create a scaffolding of structure, while the soft curves of the visitors’ clothing and the poster’s sinuous details infuse movement and charm. The interplay of loose, expressive strokes and purposeful lines produces a dynamic, street-level immediacy—exactly the kind of eye-catching elegance that once stopped passers-by along Paris boulevards. Hung in a hallway, study, or living room, this print becomes a conversation piece: it’s warm, graphic, and brimming with civic optimism.

Thoughtful and timeless, this fine art print makes a distinctive gift—perfect for Christmas, a housewarming (especially fitting for new homeowners or architects), Mother’s or Father’s Day, or for anyone who has recently returned from Paris and wants to keep the city’s creative spirit close at hand.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.