The Hydropaths: First Treatment (plate 1)

Art Historical Context

**The Hydropaths: First Treatment ( 1)**, created by French artist Charles Émile Jacque in 1843, a moment from the quirky world of 19th-century alternative medicine. Jacque, a prominent figure in the Realist movement and associate of the Barbizon school, was renowned for his lively depictions of rural life,, and animals through prints and paintings. This lithograph, in black ink on ivory wove paper belongs to his satirical series *Les Hydropathes*, poking fun at the hydropathy craze—a water-based therapy popularized in Europe as a "natural" cure-all for ailments, often viewed with skepticism by contemporaries. Lithography, a revolutionary technique by the 1840s, allowed artists like Jacque to draw directly on stone for precise, tonal reproductions, making such witty social commentary accessible via affordable prints. Measuring 24 × 18.8 cm for the image on a larger 35.1 × 23.5 cm sheet, this plate humorously illustrates the "first treatment" administered by hydropaths, blending sharp observation with caricature to critique medical fads. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, the work reflects mid-19th-century France's blend of scientific enthusiasm and cultural satire. Jacque's keen eye for human folly invites us to chuckle at history's health trends while appreciating the artistry of lithography's golden age.