Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by Guiguet. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a colour print titled “Vue du Théâtre de la Porte St Martin,” created in the eighteenth century.
About this work
Overview
The work is a colour print titled “Vue du Théâtre de la Porte St Martin,” created in the eighteenth century. It depicts the façade and surrounding streetscape of the historic Parisian theatre located at the Porte St Martin. The print is part of the H Beard Print Collection, which is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Subject & Meaning
The image offers a detailed visual record of the theatre’s architecture and its urban context, reflecting the importance of public entertainment venues in 1700s Paris. By presenting the building within its bustling streets, the print conveys both the cultural significance of the playhouse and the everyday life of the city’s residents.
Technique & Style
Executed as a colour print, the work employs line work and hand‑applied pigments to render architectural details and atmospheric effects. The style aligns with the French vedute tradition, emphasizing precise perspective and a clear, documentary quality typical of eighteenth‑century urban prints.
History & Provenance
The print was produced by the French artist Guiguet in the 1700s. It entered the H Beard Print Collection, a private assemblage of prints that was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it remains in the museum’s holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Guiguet made 18th-century prints that feel like windows into everyday life. Two of these scenes, from the H Beard Print Collection, show people at markets and parties with quick, lively lines. The prints belong to a…
