At the Saint-Jean-de-Monts Fair

Art Historical Context

**At the Saint-Jean-des Fair**, created by French artist Louis Auguste Lepère 1907, captures the lively spirit of a traditional provincial fair in Saint-Jean-de-Monts, coastal town in western France's Vendée region Lepère, renowned for his masterful prints of everyday French life—from bustling Paris streets to rural scenes—was a key figure in the late 19th- and early 20th-century etching revival. This work reflects the Belle Époque era's fascination with leisure and local customs, offering a snapshot of community gatherings amid the era's social and economic vibrancy. Rendered as an etching on cream wove paper (image 14.7 × 21.2 cm), the medium highlights Lepère's technical prowess. Etching, an intaglio process where acid bites lines into a metal plate, allowed him to achieve intricate details, rich textures, and atmospheric depth—perfect for evoking the fair's crowds, stalls, and festive energy. The cream wove paper, smooth and archival, enhances the print's subtle tones and contrasts, making it a prized example in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection. This intimate-scale etching invites viewers to relish the charm of vanishing rural traditions, blending realism with a poetic touch that celebrates France's cultural tapestry. A delightful window into early 1900s life! (198 words)

About the Artist

Louis Auguste Lepère · 1849–1918

Louis-Auguste Lepère (1849–1918) was born in Paris on November 30 to the sculptor François Lepère, immersing him early in the artistic world. At age thirteen, he apprenticed in the studio of the English wood engraver Joseph Burn-Smeeton, training there from 1862 to 1867, and later attended drawing courses under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the Petite École (now École nationale supérieure des art...