Plates One and Two, from L'Ouverture de la Campagne des Ultras contre la XIXe siecle
n.d.
Medium
Two etchings, with watercolor, on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Both images: 6.7 × 20.5 cm (2 11/16 × 8 1/8 in.); Plate: 17.9 × 25.6 cm (7 1/16 × 10 1/8 in.); Sheet: 24 × 37.8 cm (9 1/2 × 14 15/16 in.)
Classification
prints and drawing
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
198942
Art Historical Context
This intriguing pair of etchings, Plates One and Two from *L'Ouverture de la Campagne des Ultras contre la XIXe siècle*, offers a glimpse into 19th-century French political satire. Created by an unknown artist on cream wove and delicately enhanced with watercolor, the prints measure just under 7 by 21 centimeters each. Their modest scale belies a pointed commentary, as the French title translates to “The Opening of the Ultras’ Campaign Against the Nineteenth Century,” suggesting a critique of ultra-royalist forces resisting modern liberal ideas. Etching combined with hand-coloring was a favor...