Vanity Fair: Sovereigns, No. 1 'Le regime parlementaire' - James Tissot
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Description
A satirical 1869 chromolithograph by James Tissot, depicting Napoleon III alongside an allegorical figure of France for the magazine Vanity Fair.
Published in the London magazine Vanity Fair on 4 September 1869, this chromolithograph depicts Napoleon III, the Emperor of the French. Created by James Tissot under the pseudonym Coïdé, the work captures the political climate of the late Second French Empire. Tissot, who had moved to London following the Franco-Prussian War, contributed several caricatures to the publication during his early years in the city.
The composition features a diminutive Napoleon III, rendered with a heavy coat and a prominent bicorne hat, leaning on a walking stick. Beside him stands a personification of France, depicted as a woman wearing a mural crown and holding a finger to her lips in a gesture of silence. The background suggests a distant, hazy cityscape, while the foreground is rendered in muted, earthy tones. The print reflects the satirical tradition of the era, where public figures were often reduced to recognizable archetypes to comment on their governance and public perception.
This piece is a fine example of the high-quality lithographic work produced for Vanity Fair, which became known for its series of portraits and caricatures of notable individuals. Tissot employs a sharp, observational style that balances the grotesque nature of political caricature with a degree of technical precision. The use of colour is restrained, focusing the viewer's attention on the interaction between the Emperor and the allegorical figure. As a historical document, the print offers insight into how the British press viewed the French leadership during a period of significant geopolitical tension. The work remains a curious intersection of fine art technique and popular political commentary, providing a glimpse into the visual culture of the late nineteenth century.
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Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Vanity Fair: Sovereigns, No. 1 'Le regime parlementaire' - James Tissot
Artist Biography
James Tissot
He grew up in the port city of Nantes, the son of a milliner and dressmaker. His mother's trade shows in the paintings: nobody in nineteenth-century art rendered fabric, lace, ribbons and the cut of a sleeve with more attention than Tissot. He studied in Paris under Hippolyte Flandrin and exhibited at the Salon from 1859, shifting quickly from medieval subjects to modern life.
He fought in the Franco-Prussian War and was implicated in the Paris Commune of 1871, though the extent of his involvement remains unclear. What is clear is that he left Paris in a hurry after Bloody Week and turned up in London, where his detailed paintings of Victorian society made him wealthy within a few years. The English liked his work because it showed them as they wished to be seen: well-dressed, leisured, and slightly mysterious. The sexual tension in many of his compositions, the glances exchanged between men and women across the rigid codes of Victorian propriety, is always present and never explicit.
He drew caricatures for Vanity Fair under the pseudonym Coide. He was also a serious collector of Japanese art, and the influence of Japanese composition and textile patterns runs through his work alongside the European tradition.
In London he began a relationship with Kathleen Newton, an Irishwoman who became his constant model and companion until her death from tuberculosis in 1882. He returned to Paris after she died and spent his final years painting a monumental series of 350 gouaches illustrating the life of Christ, based on research trips to the Middle East.
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