The Knitter
Medium
Soft ground etching from a zinc plate on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 20.4 × 19.9 cm (8 1/16 × 7 7/8 in.); Sheet: 36.5 × 27.9 cm (14 3/8 × 11 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
49688
Art Historical Context
**The Knitter** (1902) by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen captures the quiet dignity of everyday life in fin-de-siècle Paris. This intimate soft ground etching on ivory laid paper depicts a woman absorbed in her knitting, a poignant reflection of the artist's deep empathy for the working class. Steinlen, a Swiss-born French artist renowned for his posters and illustrations, often portrayed the humble scenes of Montmartre's laborers with warmth and realism, bridging Art Nouveau's elegance and social commentary. The technique of soft ground etching from a zinc plate is particularly suited to Stein...
About the Artist
Théophile-Alexandre Pierre Steinlen · 1859–1923
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, born on November 10, 1859, in Lausanne, Switzerland, grew up in an environment steeped in artistic influence, with his grandfather serving as a drawing teacher in nearby Vevey. He studied literature at the University of Lausanne before working as a designer trainee in a Mulhouse textile mill. In his early twenties, around 1881, Steinlen married Émilie Mey, and the cou...