Mascarade

Art Historical Context

**Mascarade** by Paul Gavarni, created around 1831, captures theant spirit of Parisian social life during the early years of the July Monarchy Gavarni, a master French caricaturist and illustrator (4–1866), was renowned for his witty depictions of urban fashion, theater, and nightlife. This lithograph likely evokes the lively chaos of a masquerade ball—a popular diversion in post-Revolutionary France, where anonymity allowed for flirtation, satire, and escapism amid political and social upheaval. Printed as a lithograph, the work showcases Gavarni's skill with this innovative medium, invented just decades earlier. Lithography enabled artists to draw directly on stone with greasy crayon, producing rich tonal gradations and fine details that mimicked drawings—perfect for reproducing intricate costumes and expressions at scale. At 18.8 x 26.2 cm, it's an intimate yet vivid print, reflecting the era's boom in affordable graphic art for the growing middle class. Housed in the National Gallery of Art thanks to a gift from Frank Anderson Trapp, **Mascarade** exemplifies Gavarni's contribution to 19th-century visual culture, blending humor with keen observation of human folly. Visitors will delight in its timeless glimpse into a world of masks and merriment!

About the Artist

Paul Gavarni · 1804–1866

Paul Gavarni, born Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier on January 13, 1804, in Paris to a cooper father from Burgundy and mother Marie-Monique Thiémet—whose brother, painter Guillaume Thiémet, served as his godfather—began his career far from the art world. As a youth, he worked in a machine factory and studied mechanical drawing at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in 1818, followed by evening classe...