Mocking the bourgeoisie
Hermann-Paul’s prints frequently mock the bourgeoisie, the dominant social class in 19th-century France. His print series La Vie de Madame Quelconque (‘The Life of Mrs Average’) presents various stages in the life of a well-to-do woman with a dollop of wry humour. The themes range from her strait-laced upbringing and lone amorous adventure to the inevitable drudgery of marriage.
Hermann-Paul, She Receives the Best Education (Elle reçoit la meilleure éducation), 1895
Hermann-Paul, She's a Social Success (Elle a des succès dans le monde), 1895
Close-knit networks
Hermann-Paul published the first issue of his satirical magazine Le Fond de Bain in 1895. Working from his holiday home, he produced all the texts and illustrations himself, writing directly onto the lithographic stone to create the suggestion of an original manuscript. He even penned the advertisements himself, encouraging readers to buy the magazine La Revue blanche and to visit the art dealer Vollard. The ads show just how closely the different avant-garde institutions were intertwined.
Hermann-Paul, Journal Le fond de bain, 1895
Further reading
- Camille Mauclair, ‘Hermann Paul’, Mercure de France, (May 1894), p. 77-79
- Claire Frèches-Thory, Anne Roquebert and Richard Thomson, Toulouse-Lautrec, London 1991
- Phillip Dennis Cate, The Graphic Arts and French Society, 1871-1914, New Jersey 1988