A Spanish engineer, painter, writer and art critic, Miquel Utrillo lived alternately in Spain, Paris, Belgium and Germany, mixing in bohemian literary and artistic circles and establishing himself as one of the main figures of Catalan modernism. A regular customer of the Cabaret du Chat-Noir, he was inspired to create a shadow theater show in February 1892 at the Auberge Le Clou, avenue Trudaine in Paris, with the help of Erik Satie. In 1893, he went to Chicago with the Théâtre des Ombres Parisiennes, which was shown at the World's Fair.

Utrillo returned to shadow theater in 1897 in Barcelona, in the Quatre Gats cabaret, which was modeled on the Parisian Chat Noir. He also staged glove puppet shows, the Puchinel-lis.