Les Honnêtes femmes; Conférence, Poésies inédites d'Henry Becque; La Parisienne

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant theater world of Belle Époque Paris with this 1904 halftone print after Albert Besnard, a masterful French artist known for his Symbolist and Art Nouveau influences. Titled *Les Honnêtes femmes; Conférence, Poés inédites d'Hen Becque; La Parisienne*, it served as a folding program for performances blending drama, poetry, and Parisian flair. Besnard's original design captures the elegance of the era, reproduced here on wove paper in crisp halftone—a photomechanical technique that democratized high art for mass printing, making sophisticated imagery accessible to theatergoers. Measuring 32.7 x 25 cm when closed (expanding to 32.7 x 50.1 cm open), this intimate artifact highlights the cultural buzz around playwright Henry Becque's unpublished poems and plays like *Les Honnêtes femmes* (The Honest Women) and *La Parisienne*. It reflects Paris's thriving avant-garde scene, where theater intertwined literature and visual arts, drawing fashionable crowds to venues alive with social commentary and wit. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-E Department through the gift of The Atlas Foundation, this print exemplifies early 20th-century ephemera turned treasure—preserving a snapshot of artistic collaboration and the city's intellectual pulse. A delightful window into history's stage!