Hé c'est l'ami Carême!, Musée Grotesque No. 53

Art Historical Context

This hand-colored etching from the early 19th century belongs to Aaron Martinet’s “Musée Grotesque” series, a popular French collection of satirical prints. The title “Hé c’est l’ami Carême!” playfully invokes the season of Lent, suggesting a humorous encounter with a figure associated with or Carnival traditions. As a printmaker and publisher based in Paris, Martinet specialized in affordable, witty images that captured the social types and follies of post-Revolutionary France. The medium of hand-colored etching allowed artists like Martinet to combine sharp, expressive line work with bright...