Matinee de Septembre (or September Morn) was painted by the FrenchartistPaul Émile Chabas (1869-1937) over three summers, ending in 1912, and won a medal in a Paris art show that year but did not create any sensation.
Paul Chabas's September Morn, which became famous when it provoked a scandal in the USA.
The next year, when it was in a window of an art gallery in Chicago, Illinois (USA) it came to the attention of the mayor of the city, who charged the owner of the gallery with indecency. The resulting court case, which the art dealer won, made the painting famous.
Two months after the conclusion of the Chicago trial, Anthony Comstock (1844-1915), a self-appointed crusader against "vice", threatened a New York City art dealer who was displaying the painting in his window. However, Comstock never followed up this threat with legal action.
The public relations pioneer Harry Reichenbach claimed to have brought it to Comstock's attention as a contract job for the targeted gallery. However, Reichenbach's claim has been questioned.
Ultimately, the painting would be labelled as kitsch by critics who thought it lacking in interesting artistic features: contrast, coordinated lines, and a worthy subject. It has never lacked admirers, however, and copies of the image are still sold on postcards and reproductive prints.
