The Assault of the Shoe
Medium
Etching, with open bite, in light red and black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 16.8 × 25.2 cm (6 5/8 × 9 15/16 in.); Sheet: 25 × 36 cm (9 7/8 × 14 3/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
199801
Art Historical Context
Henri Charles Guérard's *The Assault of the Shoe (1888) is a delightful etching from the Art Institute Chicago's Prints and Drawings, capturing the whimsical spirit of late 19th French printmaking. Measuring 16.8 × 25.2 cm on a larger cream laid paper sheet, this work invites visitors to lean in and explore its playful title, which hints at a fantastical or satirical scene involving an animated shoe—perhaps a nod to the era's humor in everyday objects. Guérard masterfully employed etching with open bite, a technique where acid freely corrodes the metal plate to produce rich, textured grounds ...