Alexandre Dumas
illustratorAfter
Achille Devéria
(Paris, 1800 - 1857, Paris)
subject
Alexandre Dumas
(Villers-Cotterêts, France, 1802 - 1870, Dieppe, France)
Dateabout 1829
Place MadeFrance, Europe
MediumPrinted from a lithograph
ClassificationsArchival Material
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberARC.006414
eMuseum ID722626
EmbARK ObjectID32264
Other NumberU27e232
TMS Source ID15833
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb Commentary
As a student of French in her youth and a lifelong lover of literature, Isabella Stewart Gardner was certainly familiar with the many novels, serials, and plays written by Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870). This print depicts the young Dumas at the beginning of his career, reclining on a low couch. Dumas’ works were widely read during Isabella’s lifetime, and her personal library included a copy of the author’s La Tulipe Noire, a novel set during the Dutch Golden Age.
BibliographyNotesNina Wutrich, "Inside the French Authors Case: Alexandre Dumas," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 19 July 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/inside-french-authors-case-alexandre-dumas
MarksNotes
Signed in plate (lower left): Deveria
Inscribed in plate (lower right): Alex.Dumas
Captioned (below plate): No. 61 du Catalogue.
Inscribed in ink in Isabella Stewart Gardner's hand (recto, lower center): by Devéria (Achille)ProvenanceNotesPurchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the auctioneers and appraisers Charles F. Libbie & Co., Boston for $2.50 or $2.75 on 26 April 1890, lot 245 or 246.
