The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Medium
Wood engraving
Dimensions
Block: 6 11/16 x 5 7/16 in. (17 x 13.8 cm) Sheet: 9 1/2 x 7 15/16 in. (24.1 x 20.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.65.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical yet cautionary world of *The Pied Piper of Ham*, a captivating 1868 wood engraving by American artist John La Farge with engraving by Henry Marsh. This vividly captures the medieval German legend popularized by the Brothers Grimm, where a charismatic piper uses his flute to rid the town of rats—and later, in revenge, leads away its children. La Farge, known for his innovative stained-glass work and Pre-Raphael-inspired details, designs a scene teeming with children, men, women, and the enchanting flutist, evoking both delight and subtle menace. Wood engraving, the medi...
About the Artist
John La Farge|Henry Marsh · 1835–1910
John La Farge (1835–1910) was born into a wealthy French émigré family in New York City, the son of John Frederick La Farge and Louisa Binsse de Saint-Victor. Educated at Jesuit institutions including Mount St. Mary's College in Maryland and St. John's College (now Fordham University), he initially pursued law but turned to art after receiving early drawing lessons from his maternal grandfather, a...