The Queen of the Fishes: Plate 5

1894

Lucien Pissarro

(British, 1863–1944)

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Culture

England, 19th century

Medium

woodcut printed in gray

Measurements

Book page: 19.2 x 13.3 cm (7 9/16 x 5 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Henry H. Hawley for the fiftieth anniversary of The Print Club of Cleveland 1970.50.e

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Location

Not on view

Description

Pissarro, son of the French Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro, moved to England in 1890. By 1894 he and his wife, Esther Bensusan Pissarro, had bought a printing press and established the Eragny Press. Influenced by William Morris, they were involved in every step of the production process: designing, cutting the woodblocks, setting type, and printing. The first book published by Ergany Press, The Queen of the Fishes, is based on an old fairy tale in which a peasant boy and girl escape the hardships of their lives by fantasizing that they have been turned into a giant oak and a splendid fish, respectively.