L'Amerique
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-447-4
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Created in 1736 by French artist Marie Michelle Blondel, *L'Amerique* offers a fascinating glimpse into how Europeans of the mid-eighteenth century imagined distant lands. As a print, the work belongs to a long tradition of allegorical representations that personified the four continents. Blondel, active during a period when few women pursued professional artistic careers, contributed to this visual conversation about geography, trade, and cultural encounter. Housed today in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the piece reflects the growing curiosity about the Americas among French audiences...