Portrait of Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt (1762−1817)

About this artwork

This intimate etching and aquatint, *Portrait of Anne-Josèphe Théroigne dericourt* (1762–1817), captures the fiery spirit of a legendary figure from the French Revolution. Created 1793 by engravers Gilles Louis Chrét and Jean Fouquet, work measures just 2⅜ × 2⅜ inches—small enough to fit in a pocket or paste into a revolutionary pamphlet. As ephemera from the Prints and Drawings department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it reflects the era's craze for affordable, reproducible portraits that democratized fame. Théroigne de Méricourt, a singer and ardent Jacobin activist, became an icon of liberty, often parading in a red Phrygian cap and leading crowds at the Bastille and Tuileries. By 1793, amid the Reign of Terror, her image symbolized radical fervor, though her later descent into madness added tragic layers to her legend. This print, likely based on a physionotrace silhouette technique pioneered by Chrétien, immortalized her bold gaze and revolutionary attire for the masses. The etching's fine lines and aquatint's tonal washes create a vivid, lifelike bust in miniature, showcasing 18th-century printmaking's innovation for mass dissemination. A gift to the Met in 1924, it invites us to ponder how tiny images fueled the flames of revolution.