Title Page
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-310-26
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Title Page** by Jean François Forty (active 1775–1790) is a captivating print from the late 18th century, in the Smithsonian American Art. Created between 1775 and 1794, this work exemplifies the artistry of printmaking during a transformative era. As a title page, it likely as an elegant frontispiece for a book, portfolio, or series of engravings, a common practice that blended typography with intricate illustrations to draw viewers into the content ahead. Prints like this were revolutionary in their time, offering affordable reproductions of images and ideas to a wide audience beyond elit...