Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Impressionist artist Dalbrey. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This print shows four scenes of Jane Hading in a play.
It’s titled for the Exposition Universelle in 1889.
The museum calls it a print, not a painting.
It was published to mark the big 1889 fair in Paris.
Four moments of the actress’s performance are captured side by side.
It mixes Impressionist brushwork with Realist clarity.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.
Overview
The work is a multi‑panel print that presents four distinct moments from the stage production of "Plus que Reine" starring actress Jane Hading. Produced as a commemorative item for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the print assembles the scenes side by side, offering a concise visual record of the performance.
Subject & Meaning
Each panel captures a different gesture or expression of Hading, emphasizing her role in the popular theatrical piece. By juxtaposing the four images, the print highlights the narrative progression of the play and underscores the cultural prominence of the actress within the context of late‑19th‑century French theatre.
Technique & Style
The print combines the fluid, atmospheric qualities associated with Impressionist brushwork with the precise, representational detail typical of Realist illustration. This hybrid approach renders the theatrical lighting and costume textures while maintaining a clear, documentary quality that makes the scenes readily identifiable.
History & Provenance
Created specifically to mark the 1889 Paris World Fair, the print was distributed as part of the exposition’s promotional material. It entered museum collections as an example of contemporary print culture linked to both the fair and the era’s theatrical scene, and it remains catalogued as a print rather than a painted work.
Artist & collection
Artist
H Beard Print Collection is a set of 1889 wood engravings by an artist with a sharp eye for the strangeness hiding in plain sight—think crowded streets where a single face stares straight at you.
