Lantern dedicated to Arsène Alexandre

ca. 1874

Not on view

During the 1870s, the innovative printmaker Henri Guérard assembled a remarkable collection of antique and disused lanterns numbering in the hundreds. He made individual, portrait-like drawings of each lantern with plans to publish a portfolio of etchings. Although the project remained incomplete, an etching of this composition appeared in the journal "Paris à l’eau-forte" in January 1875. The artist is quoted describing the rationale for his collection: "Do you believe that one can only collect porcelain and precious bibelots? … Is history not written in lanterns as much as it is in plates? This collection is a whole world for me; each lantern reminds me of an epoch or a type." Later impressions of the print based on this drawing are dedicated to the art critic Arsène Alexandre.

Artwork Details

Title: Lantern dedicated to Arsène Alexandre
Artist: Henri Guérard (French, 1846–1897)
Date: ca. 1874
Medium: Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash over graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 8 3/16 in. × 4 in. (20.8 × 10.1 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, PECO Foundation Gift, 2025
Object Number: 2025.461
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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