Portrait of Madame Ditte-Harmite

Art Historical Context

This elegant lithograph by Jean-Baptiste Isabey captures the refined portraiture of early nineteenth-century France. Created 1825 during the Bourbon Restoration, the work reflects Isabey’s transition from his celebrated role as court miniaturist under Napoleon to exploring the new medium of lithography. The print’s delicate lines and soft tonal gradations showcase the artist’s skill in translating the intimacy of drawing onto stone, allowing for wider circulation of portraiture beyond elite circles. As a single-state impression, the lithograph highlights the precision and spontaneity possible with this innovative technique, which emerged in the late 1790s and quickly became prized for its ability to reproduce subtle facial expressions and fabric textures. Measuring just over eight inches in height, the image focuses on Madame Ditte-Harmite with quiet dignity, emphasizing her presence through careful attention to posture and attire. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this work offers visitors a glimpse into the evolving world of graphic art, where technical innovation met the enduring demand for personal likenesses.

About the Artist

Jean-Baptiste Isabey · 1767–1855

Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767–1855) was a French painter and miniaturist whose extraordinary longevity and adaptability allowed him to serve as the preeminent portraitist of successive French regimes — from the court of Louis XVI through the Revolution, the Napoleonic Empire, the Restoration, and into the July Monarchy — making his career an almost unparalleled chronicle of French political and socia...