Colin studied painting, but became famous as a poster designer. He was often called one of the three Cs: Cassandre, Carlu, Colin. During his life he made more than 2,000 posters and more than 100 stage sets. Paris of the 1920s and 1930s was often referred to as L‘Epoque Paul Colin. His fi rst poster was for La Revue Nègre at the Theatre des ChampsÉlysées, which was an opportunity to make a name for himself. It brought him his muse, lover and longtime friend Josephine Baker, the most famous jazz singer and dancer of her time. In 1927 Colin produced a portfolio, in an edition of 500, in tribute to her and the other African- American performers who appeared in Paris in the Roaring Twenties. He used a time-consuming technique called pochoir. It required a separate stencil for every colour and a special brush, called a pompon. Paul Colin ran his own school from the early 1930s until the 1960s.