Design for the letter C of a pictorial alphabet: Confession
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Bequest of Erskine Hewitt
Accession Number
1938-57-780
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Victor Vincent Adam (1801–1866), a French artist known for his genre scenes and lithographs during the Romantic era, created this charming design around 1830. Titled *Design for the letter C a pictorial alphabet: Confession it forms part of an inventive series where each letter of the alphabet is illustrated with a thematic image. Here, the letter "C" evokes the intimate act of confession, likely from religious or moral traditions prevalent in early 19th-century France a time of social and spiritual reflection post-Napoleonic upheavals. As a drawing—its precise medium yet to be determined—thi...