1990 New Orleans Jazz Fest Kid Sheik Poster by Louise Mouton—Special Double-Signed Limited Edition #414/500

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Created by New Orleans artist Louise Mouton for the 1990 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, this striking poster honors … Read more Created by New Orleans artist Louise Mouton for the 1990 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, this striking poster honors legendary traditional jazz trumpeter George “Kid Sheik” Colar.

This example is from the most limited and collectible edition: one of only 500 posters signed in pencil by both Louise Mouton and Kid Sheik, the musician portrayed. It is individually numbered 414/500. This special edition is distinct from the 2,500 artist-signed posters and 12,500 unsigned posters also issued that year.

Mouton’s composition brings together the visual and musical history of New Orleans through bold blocks of saturated color, Pop Art–influenced halftone dots, linear hatching, and rhythmic graphic patterning. A diagonal banner of musical notation crosses the image, reproducing the chorus of “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans.” Above it, a layered collage evokes the era of 78-rpm records and details of New Orleans architecture. Kid Sheik appears below with his trumpet, connecting the city’s early jazz traditions to the living culture celebrated by Jazz Fest.

George “Kid Sheik” Colar (1908–1996) was a New Orleans trumpeter, bandleader and internationally recognized exponent of traditional jazz. Beginning his professional career in the 1920s, he performed with ensembles including the Eureka Brass Band, Olympia Brass Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His long career spanned much of the history of recorded New Orleans jazz.

Louise Mouton Johnson is a New Orleans-born artist and printmaker. Her 1990 Jazz Fest design was the sixteenth poster in the festival series.

The poster measures 20 × 33 inches before framing and is presented in a handsome custom frame with layered green matting and gold-toned trim. Please refer to the listing dimensions for the complete framed size.

A scarce double-signed Jazz Fest edition uniting an important New Orleans visual artist with one of the city’s enduring traditional jazz figures. See less