Artwork
Histoire du Costume en France: Bourgeois de Paris
Histoire du Costume en France: Bourgeois de Paris is a print by the Romanticist artist Paul Gavarni. It dates from 1843 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1843 by French illustrator Paul Gavarni, this black‑and‑white print titled Histoire du Costume en France: Bourgeois de Paris belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. The image presents a pair of Parisian middle‑class men, rendered in fine line work that captures the details of their attire and posture.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on two urban dwellers, each dressed in contemporary bourgeois fashion. One figure sports a tall black hat, long coat and vest, while the other wears a shorter top hat and high‑collared jacket. Their close proximity suggests a casual exchange, emphasizing the social rituals and self‑presentation of Parisian citizens outside the aristocracy.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithographic print, Gavarni employs delicate hatching and precise contour lines to delineate fabric folds, hat brims and accessories such as a cane. The monochrome palette highlights texture and contrast, characteristic of mid‑19th‑century French caricature and costume illustration.
History & Provenance
The work was produced during Gavarni’s prolific period of publishing series on contemporary dress. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition (date of acquisition not specified), where it remains part of the museum’s prints and drawings department.
Context
Part of a broader series documenting French attire, the print reflects the growing interest in everyday fashion among the burgeoning middle class of the July Monarchy. Gavarni’s attention to detail offers a visual record of the clothing norms and social demeanor of Parisian bourgeois men in the early 1840s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Gavarni was the pen name of Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier (13 January 1804 – 24 November 1866), a French illustrator, born in Paris.
