The Baby in Saint-Giles, from Masques et Visages
1852
Medium
Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 21.5 × 18.5 cm (8 1/2 × 7 5/16 in.); Sheet: 36.4 × 26.7 cm (14 3/8 × 10 9/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
27450
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of mid-19th-century Paris Paul Gavarni captured the vibrant social tapestry through his masterful lithographs. *The Baby in Saint-G, from Masques et Visages*1852) is a poignant entry in his series of character studies, which humorously and incisively portrayed the "masks and faces" of everyday Parisians—from bohemians to the working class. Gavarni, a leading caricaturist associated with Romantic lithography, drew inspiration from the gritty streets of neighborhoods like Saint-Giles (Saint-Gilles), evoking the era's mix of urban poverty, whimsy, and resilience amid Haussma...
About the Artist
Paul Gavarni
Paul Gavarni, born Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier on January 13, 1804, in Paris to a cooper father from Burgundy and mother Marie-Monique Thiémet—whose brother, painter Guillaume Thiémet, served as his godfather—began his career far from the art world. As a youth, he worked in a machine factory and studied mechanical drawing at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in 1818, followed by evening classe...