Les Fils D'Edouard
name: label: inspired work
content: Shakespeare, William
label: designer
content: Tassaert, Octave
label: draftsperson
content: Garnier, Hippolyte-Louis
label: lithographer
content: Delaunois
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Scene from a French play, Les Fils d'Edouard The Sons of Edward), by Casimir Delavigne, 1833. Both the play and this print series were inspired by Paul Delaroche's painting, Les Enfants d'Edouard IV (The Children of Edward IV), 1831, now in the Louvre, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play Richard III. This image shows a dramatic confrontation between the young English King Edward V with his mother and brother, facing his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III, and a courtier. The queen's hat lies on the floor between the two adversarial groups.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The disappearance of the two Yorkist princes has never been solved, although Shakespeare's account indicates they were murdered in the Tower of London. New research suggests there may have been another factor, such as a terminal illness, which has been overlooked due to the dramatic power of Shakespeare's text.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The prints were produced by the relatively new process of lithography. Lithography, literally drawing on stone, allowed artists to reproduce works more quickly than traditional engraving. Speed was important to capture the market created by the production of Delavigne's play, and lithography offered excellent contrasts of dark and light to heighten the suspense in the picture. The lithograph was designed by Octave Tassaert (1800–1874), an artist known for prints and paintings that conveyed a psychological approach to emotions, which is visible in the characters' expressions. It was drawn by Hippolyte Garnier (1802–1855) and printed by Delaunois. Theatrical scenes have always been popular as prints, and an American collector donated this print and another from the series to the Museum in 1920.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Earle Huckel
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: GA.11223.01
label: catalog number
content: 11223.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Print
label: Object Name
content: print
label: Object Name
content: lithograph
label: Other Terms
content: Print; Planographic
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 35.5 cm x 37 cm; 14 in x 14 9/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall; image: 30.5 cm x 36.5 cm; 12 in x 14 3/8 in