Si l'on était encore embrassé au jour de l'an que par ses amis et connaissances, BAL91.79, Henry Monnier

Author(s): monnier, henry bonaventure (paris, 07–06–1799 - paris, 03–01–1877 — 3–6–1877), designer bernard, charles louis (paris, 29–06–1769 - paris, 11–09–1848), designer-lithographer giraldon and bovinet, editor other title: recreation (series title) dating in century: 19th century type(s) of object(s): graphic arts, print name(s): print materials and techniques: vellum paper, watercolor, lithography dimensions - artwork: height: 23. 1cm width: 31. 1cm dimensions - image: height: 13. 4cm width: 14. 7cm description: colored print marks, inscriptions, hallmarks: wet stamp - t. H. : ​​monogram a m and 2 r next to each other? title of the work - above the image: recreations number - above the image on the right: pl. 37 legend - in the image, at the bottom: if we were still hugged on new year's eve only by our friends and acquaintances inscription concerning the author - under the image on the left: henry monnier under the image on the right: lith de bernard registration concerning the test - under the image: published by giraldon bovinet, passage vivienne, n°26. Iconographic description: three couples hug or kiss. On the left side, a young woman pushes away with her hand a man who leans towards her, his mouth seeking a kiss in a ridiculous way. In the center, a man and a woman, both corpulent, embrace, their two silhouettes are so similar that we cannot understand who is who. On the right side, two men kiss each other on the cheek, one of the two men holds two loaves of sugar cones under his arms. 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 customs of their time often inspired the two artists in parallel on numerous subjects as we can see in the following extract: "joseph godard, cousin of mitral through his mother, had based on this kinship with baudoyer, although quite distant, claims to the hand of mademoiselle baudoyer; consequently, in his eyes baudoyer shone like a genius. He professed high esteem for elisabeth and madame saillard, without having yet noticed that madame baudoyer was cooking falleix for her daughter. He brought miss baudoyer small gifts, artificial flowers, sweets on new year's day, pretty boxes on her special days. [excerpt from the employees, by honoré de balzac] themes / subjects / places represented: subject of society, morals, salute - reverence institution: maison de balzac inventory number: bal91. 79. Date: Unknown.