Les Fauteuils d'orchestre
Medium
wood engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5575
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of 19th-century Parisian theater with *Les Fauteuils d'orchestre* (The Orchestra Stalls), a wood engraving in 1878 by Auguste Lepère after renowned Honoré Daumier. Daumier, a master of caricature and social satire, captured the bustling energy of bourgeois audiences in this scene, likely depicting theatergoers in the prime orchestra seats. Lepère's skilled translation into wood engraving—a precise intaglio technique popular for its ability to reproduce fine details in mass-produced prints—brings Daumier's dynamic composition to life with sharp lines and dramatic cont...