Fille-mère (1ère planche) (Unwed Mother) (first plate)

1909

Jean-Louis Forain

Associated Names
Jean-Louis Forain

Artist, French, 1852 - 1931

This is a drawing of five figures positioned in various poses around a table or flat surface. The central figure appears slumped over the surface, with another figure supporting them to the right. To the left, another figure rests a hand under their chin, while two figures stand or lean against a higher surface in the background, one with long hair covering their face. The figures are drawn with expressive lines, conveying weight and emotion. The background is simple, emphasizing the focus on the figures.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid Van Gelder paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 39.5 × 48.7 cm (15 9/16 × 19 3/16 in.)
    sheet: 54 × 70.1 cm (21 1/4 × 27 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3752

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Faxon 1982, no. 47, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

  • Prints and Drawings Relating to Lawyers and the Law, organized for the 54th annual Convention of the American Bar Association, Atlantic City Auditorium, 1931, no. 113, repro.

1933

  • A Century of Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933, no. 132, repro.

  • An Exhibition of Prints from the Collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1933, no. 202.

Bibliography

1982

  • Faxon, Alicia Craig. Jean-Louis Forain: A Catalogue Raisonne of the Prints. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1982.

Inscriptions

"epreuve d'essai / forain / janvier 1909" lower right margin, graphite, artist's hand. "Fille mère" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "EE739" lower right margin, graphite, unknown hand. "93241 / [illeg.]" verso, lower right sheet, graphite, unknown hand.

Markings

"LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1760b). "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d). (Marcel Louis Guérin collector's stamp) verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1872b).

Watermarks

[crowned Strasburg lily] "VGL / VAN GELDER ZONEN"

Wikidata ID

Q64959281

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