The Dream

Art Historical Context

"The Dream" is a captivating lithograph created around 1849–62 by French artist Célestin Nanteuil, with from Narcisse-Virgile de la Peña, and printed by Bertauts at P. Cadet's workshop in Paris. Measuring 17¼ × 11¼ inches, this print exemplifies mid-19th-century Frenchism, a period when artists explored sensuality, fantasy, and the female form. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's and Prints department, it transferred from the Library, its dual appeal as both fine art and illustrative work. Lithography, the medium here, revolutionized printmaking by allowing artists to draw directly on ...