La Toilette des Morts, from "Illustrated London News"
Charlotte Corday, who murdered the Jacobin Jean-Marie Marat, is seen here imprisoned in the Conciergerie (a medieval palace in Paris) awaiting execution. An artist who has just finished her portrait packs away his paints, and a jailor who wears a Cap of Liberty cuts Charlotte's hair to prepare her for the guillotine. The print is based on a painting shown at the Royal Academy in 1863 titled "Charlotte Corday—Her last toilette before her execution." The image offers a grim variation on a woman's dressing ritual, with the jailor replacing a hairdresser, and the canvas taking the place of a mirror.
Artwork Details
- Title: La Toilette des Morts, from "Illustrated London News"
- Series/Portfolio: Illustrated London News
- Engraver: William Luson Thomas (British, London 1830–1900 Chertsey, Surrey)
- Artist: After Edward Matthew Ward (British, London 1816–1879 Windsor)
- Subject: Charlotte Corday (French, Saint-Saturnin 1768–1793 Paris)
- Date: July 25, 1863
- Medium: Wood engraving
- Dimensions: Image: 11 1/8 × 9 3/16 in. (28.3 × 23.4 cm)
Sheet: 11 5/8 × 9 5/8 in. (29.5 × 24.5 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Donato Esposito, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.653.29
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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May 25, 1861
William Luson Thomas
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February 23, 1861
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