Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Stamp of Memories I

Printer Harlan & Weaver, Inc. American
1993
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 099
Stamp of Memories I derives from the print Ste Sebastienne (1990), in which Bourgeois created a mythical female version of the martyred Saint Sebastian. As the print progressed, she added a menacing cat’s face and three eggs, perhaps alluding to her three sons, and covered the figure’s body and hair with circular stamping. Acting as a kind of skin or protective armor, the stamp contains the interlocking letters “LB.” Although "LB" corresponds to the artist’s initials and thus can be read as a kind of signature, this particular stamp belonged to her father, Louis Bourgeois. With this work, Bourgeois sought to reject her father’s stamp and all that it symbolized. In 1994, she produced Stamp of Memories II, which features the same image of Sebastienne, but with her body covered in the less ornate block letters of the artist's own stamp.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Stamp of Memories I
  • Artist: Louise Bourgeois (American, Paris 1911–2010 New York)
  • Printer: Harlan & Weaver, Inc. (American)
  • Publisher: Peter Blum Edition
  • Date: 1993
  • Medium: Drypoint and metal stamp
  • Dimensions: sheet: 25 3/8 x 17 1/8 in. (64.5 x 43.5cm)
    plate: 9 13/16 x 16 7/8 in. (24.9 x 42.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Stewart S. MacDermott Fund, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.128
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
He Disappeared into Complete Silence, Louise Bourgeois American, Engraving and drypoint with letterpress in a linen portfolio cover
He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Louise Bourgeois
1947
Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
Target, Jasper Johns American, Lithograph with rubber stamp impression and collaged elements (one watercolor brush and three dried watercolor cakes) in hinged wood case
Target
Jasper Johns
Printer Kenneth E. Tyler
Publisher Gemini G.E.L.
1971
Seated female, Ceramic, paint, Halaf
Seated female
Halaf
ca. 5600–5000 BCE
Point of Contact, Louise Bourgeois American, Bronze
Point of Contact
Louise Bourgeois
1967–68

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.