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The image shows two individuals standing in close proximity. On the left, a man is depicted in a slight profile view, looking towards the woman. He has a robust build, a mustache, and wears a cap. He is holding a rectangular object close to his body. On the right, a woman is shown in profile facing the man. She has long, wavy hair and wears a long dress with a high collar. The background consists of soft, sketchy lines hinting at walls or shelves with a silhouetted figure in the background on the right.
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The image shows two individuals standing in close proximity. On the left, a man is depicted in a slight profile view, looking towards the woman. He has a robust build, a mustache, and wears a cap. He is holding a rectangular object close to his body. On the right, a woman is shown in profile facing the man. She has long, wavy hair and wears a long dress with a high collar. The background consists of soft, sketchy lines hinting at walls or shelves with a silhouetted figure in the background on the right.

National Gallery of Art · Print

"J'ose pas encore aller le décrocher...ça lui fera trop de peine." ("I don't dare take them down...it would hurt him too much.")

Jean-Louis Forain

Date
c. 1892
Medium
lithograph on wove Arches vellum paper
Dimensions
sheet (irreg.): 39.6 × 26 cm (15 9/16 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1943.3.3839
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1876 to 1900
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • interior
  • architecture
  • Woman
  • Man
Provenance

Roger Marx [1859-1913], Paris, (Lugt 2229); (sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 27 April to 2 May 1914, lot 51); (Charles Sessler, Philadelphia); sold 19 April 1929 to Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.

Inscription

Not signed. Not dated. "c / spx" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "m97" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "MK 30308" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "J'ose pas encore aller le décrocher" verso, lower right sheet, graphite, unknown hand. "1879" [underlined] verso, lower right sheet, graphite, unknown hand.

Marks

"RMx" (Roger Marx collector's stamp) lower right margin, black stamped ink, (Lugt 2229). "LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1760b). "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d).

Watermarks

"j.l. forain"

NGA object ID 6957. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.