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Mister Vulture

1840
Not on view
In 1839, the editor Pierre-Jules Hetzel conceived of a book project expressly as a vehicle for J. J. Grandville’s illustrations. A collection of short stories by a variety of authors, "Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux: Etudes de mœurs contemporaines," (Scenes from the private and public life of animals: Studies of contemporary customs) offers a satirical critique of human society from the point of view of animals. In the first story, a hare finds lodging with a lowly government clerk. Here, Grandville depicts the poor clerk’s landlord, a portly Mr. Vulture, who clutches a rent receipt in his hand. The locked coffer at lower right also signals the greed of the property owner.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mister Vulture
  • Artist: J. J. Grandville (French, Nancy 1803–1847 Vanves)
  • Date: 1840
  • Medium: Pen and ink
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 5 5/8 in. × 5 in. (14.3 × 12.7 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Michael Schlossberg, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.164.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Les métamorphoses du jour, J. J. Grandville French, Hand-colored lithographs
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n.d.
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century
The Parade, Si Lewen American, Manufactured charcoal, pencil, crayon, ink, scratching, and hand applied gesso on paperboard
The Parade
Si Lewen
ca. 1950
The Grand Review of the Juste-Milieu Passing La Caricature, October 30, 1832 (Grand revue passée par la caricature le 30 Octobre 1832), from "L'Association Mensuelle no. 3", J. J. Grandville French, Lithograph
The Grand Review of the Juste-Milieu Passing La Caricature, October 30, 1832 (Grand revue passée par la caricature le 30 Octobre 1832), from "L'Association Mensuelle no. 3"
J. J. Grandville
Auguste Raffet
Publisher Charles Philipon
October 1832
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph printed in four colors; three sheets of wove paper
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Printer Affiches Américaines, Charles Lévy
1891

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