c. 1850s
(French, 1823–1895)
Black chalk and graphite with stumping, watercolor, gouache, and fabricated colored chalk on medium weight wove paper
Overall: 43.6 x 30.7 cm (17 3/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2019.62
Alexandre Bida was an accomplished illustrator and produced images to accompany an 1865 edition of the works of Alfred de Musset, this portrait’s sitter.
This portrait is one of only a few that Alexandre Bida—known primarily for his depictions of North Africa—created during his career. It depicts the celebrated French poet and novelist Alfred de Musset (1810–1857). Bida was commissioned to create illustrations for an 1865 publication of Musset’s collected writings, and the drawing was likely completed in commemoration of that project.
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