Frontispiece: This costs but a bagatelle - Denis-Auguste-Marie Raffet

A satirical 1835 lithograph by Denis-Auguste-Marie Raffet, featuring a fairground stage with a clown, a top-hatted figure, and a monkey in military dress.

This lithograph serves as the frontispiece for the 1835 Album Lithographique by the French artist Denis-Auguste-Marie Raffet. Known primarily for his military subjects and depictions of the Napoleonic era, Raffet here adopts a more whimsical, satirical tone. The composition features a makeshift wooden stage, typical of a travelling fairground or street performance, where a clown and a sombre, top-hatted figure stand before a banner announcing the publication. A monkey, dressed in a miniature military uniform and carrying a musket, perches on a post, adding a layer of absurdity to the scene.

The text at the base of the stage, 'Cela ne coute que la Bagatelle de...', plays on the double meaning of the word 'bagatelle', which refers to a trifle or a small amount of money, while also serving as the title of the work. The print captures the spirit of 19th-century Parisian street life, where entertainment and commerce often intersected in public spaces. Raffet utilises the medium of lithography to achieve a range of tonal values, from the soft shadows cast by the figures to the crisp lines of the lettering on the banner. The inclusion of the publisher's details, 'Chez Gihaut frères, Editeurs, boulevard des Italiens, N.5', provides a clear record of the print's commercial origin. This work demonstrates the artist's technical proficiency and his ability to observe the social nuances of his time with a dry, ironic wit. The figures are rendered with a focus on characterisation, reflecting the popular interest in caricature that permeated French visual culture during the July Monarchy.