It's a Pole
Medium
Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 16.3 × 23.7 cm (6 7/16 × 9 3/8 in.); Sheet: 28.3 × 39.6 cm (11 3/16 × 15 5/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
111975
Art Historical Context
Denis Auguste Marie Raffet a leading French lithographer of the Romantic era, created *It's a Pole* in 1832, capturing the spirit of military valor amid Europe's turbulent politics. This black lithograph on ivory wove paper (image: 16.3 × 23.7 cm) reflects Raffet's expertise in depicting soldiers with dramatic flair, often drawing from Napoleonic themes and contemporary conflicts. The title likely nods to a Polish lancer, evoking sympathy for Poland's failed November Uprising (1830–31) against Russian rule—a cause that stirred Romantic artists across Europe. Lithography, a revolutionary print...
About the Artist
Denis Auguste Marie Raffet · 1804–1860
Denis Auguste Marie Raffet (1804–1860) was born in Paris and displayed an early aptitude for drawing, though his initial apprenticeship was to a wood turner. He pursued art through evening classes and, at age eighteen, joined the workshop of Cabanel as a porcelain painter, where he met Rudor, who taught him lithography. Raffet studied under Nicolas Toussaint Charlet from 1824 to 1829 and completed...