Nadar's Pantheon (Panthéon Nadar)
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 32 1/4 x 45 1/4 in. (81.9 x 114.9 cm) frame: 36 x 49 in. (91.4 x 124.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 1993
Accession Number
1993.1079
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century, caricaturist and photographer Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) created *Nadar's Pantheon (Panthéon Nadar, a witty 1854 lithograph that immortalizes a pantheon of literary giants: George Sand, Victor Hugo Honoré de Balzac and Alexandre Dumas père. This large-scale print (32¼ × 45¼ inches) playfully elevates these Romantic-era luminaries to divine status, blending homage with Nadar's signature satirical flair. Produced during the vibrant cultural ferment of Second Empire Paris, it captures the era's fascination with celebrity and intellectual stardom. Lithography, the m...