19th Century French Artist — Ah! Les Bonnes Binettes. No. 404

Pont-à-Mousson: Haguenthal, [1870-1900]. Large format color broadside (Bilderbogen) 16" x 11". Good. Some loss in left margin, not affecting image. Bottom row of images detached from top two rows. Mounted on paper. Text in French. Originally conceived in 1796 by Jean-Charles Pellerin in his native village of Épinal (Vosges), the images d'Épinal were inexpensive woodcuts and lithographs of religious and historical content intended for the common consumer. During the Napoleonic wars, these images became extremely popular as Pellerin's printing house, Imagerie d'Épinal, cornered the market on commemorative historical prints. During the Great War, the traditional style of these prints appealed to French artists looking to show their patriotism, as in the eyes of an increasingly anti-German public, the image d'Épinal came to represent a distinctly French product unmarred by foreign influence. The prints had a further appeal in that their minimalist form allowed many artists to stay true to the modernist ideals of their time. .