Le Complement des Etudes. Finishing ones education. BAL2013.41, En 1827

Author(s): monnier, henry bonaventure (paris, 07–06–1799 - paris, 03–01–1877 — 3–6–1877), designer senefelder et cie, designer-lithographer production date: in 1827 dating in century: 19th century type(s) of object(s): graphic arts, print name(s): print materials and techniques: lithography, vellum paper, watercolor dimensions - artwork: height: 20. 8cm width: 26cm description: colored print marks, inscriptions, hallmarks: title of the work - under the image: the complement of studies. Finishing ones education. Author inscription - below the image on the right: senefelder lith. Inscription concerning the author - under the image on the left: henry monnier iconographic description: sitting on a comfortable sofa filled with large cushions, a couple relaxes. A very young, innocent and shy man lets himself be embraced by a busty matron. Actor, playwright and designer, henry monnier helped illustrate la comédie humaine. His engravings of administrative morals, and especially his play scenes from bureaucratic life, clearly inspired balzac for his novel la femme supérieure, renamed les employés. The same references to the morals of their time often inspired the two artists on numerous subjects, as we can see in the following extract: "corruption is in force, talent is rare. Thus, corruption is the weapon of mediocrity which abounds, and you will feel the edge of it everywhere. You will see women whose husbands have six thousand francs in salary for all soup, and who spend more than ten thousand francs on their toilet. You will see employees at twelve hundred francs to buy land. You will see women prostitute themselves to go in the car of the son of a french peer, who can run to longchamps on the middle road. You have seen the poor fool of father goriot obliged to pay the bill of exchange endorsed by his daughter, whose husband has fifty thousand pounds in income. I challenge you to take two steps in paris without encountering infernal shenanigans. [extract from le père goriot, by honoré de balzac] themes / subjects / places represented: subject of society, morals, domestic interior, young man, prostitute mode of acquisition: purchase institution: maison de balzac inventory number: bal2013. 41. Date: En 1827.