Pfaff, born to German parents in Shanghai, was an illustrator and contributor to Jugend magazine. In 1896 he began to design book covers for the Dresden publisher Hirth & Pierson, and that became his permanent job. This, regrettably, is his only known poster. It won him third prize in a poster competition sponsored by Dresden piano maker Ernest Kaps. His vivid colors and fine design capture the dreamy intensity with which the woman listens to the pianist's performance. Two other versions of the poster show either a Dresden or Paris address below the image.
C.C. Meinhold & Sons, Dresden
literature: DFP-III, 2537 (var); PAI-LIII, 409