Bug-Jargal
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 9 5/16 × 6 1/4 in. (23.7 × 15.8 cm) Sheet: 10 9/16 × 6 3/4 in. (26.9 × 17.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1929
Accession Number
29.18.4(4)
Art Historical Context
In the early 1830s, amid the fervor of French Romanticism, Victor Hugorenowned novelist and poet—collaborated with illustrators Célestin Nuil and Eugène Rend on *Bug-Jargal*, an etching that captures the dramatic spirit of Hugo's 1826 novel of the same name. The work depicts a pivotal scene from the story, set against the backdrop of the Haitian Revolution1791–1804), where the titular character, a noble Haitian slave leader, embodies themes of rebellion, honor, and colonial injustice. This print reflects Romanticism's passion for exoticism, heroism, and social upheaval, bridging literature and...