- 93
V. Lenepveu
Description
- V. Lenepveu
- eight original drawings for the anti-Semitic and anti-Dreyfusard series of posters Le Musee des Horreurs
- executed circa 1899
- one watercolor and brush and ink over pencil on paper; one colored crayon and graphite on paper; six watercolor and brush and ink on paper
- varying sizes from 10 by 8 1/8 in to 13 3/8 by 9 7/8 in
- varying sizes from 25.5 by 21 cm to 34 by 25 cm
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The 1894 arrest and conviction for treason of the French Jewish artillery officer, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, began a twelve year storm that deeply marked the political and social history of the French Third Republic. Dreyfus, falsely accused of selling military secrets to Germany, received an unfair trial by a secret military commission. Stripped of his rank, he was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. It was only after the affair had dragged on for a dozen years that he was finally cleared of all charges by the court of appeals, exonerated, and reinstated. The Dreyfus case split French society into opposing camps, riven with hostile rhetoric, political turmoil,and propelled open and virulent anti-Semitic expression in the country's press.
Musee des Horreurs is one example of the potent reactions to the affair. The posters, designed and engraved by French-Algerian militant, V. Lenepveu, were launched at the retrial of Dreyfus in Rennes in August 1899 and sold by subscription, at newsstands, and by hawkers and street vendors. Its malicious caricatures attack prominent Dreyfusard personalities, degrading them with offensive images and texts.
The eight original caricatures from the set in the present lot include:
Emile Zola (Le roi des Porcs), drawing for poster no. 4
Fernand Labori, defense attorney for both Dreyfus and Zola (Trou de balle), drawing for poster no. 5
Alfred Dreyfus (Le Traitor), drawing for poster no. 6
Jean Jaures, journalist (L'elephant du Jourdain), drawing for poster no. 14
Emile Loubet, President of France, Chief Rabbi Zadoc Kahn, Lieutenant-Colonol George Picquart, French officer who exposed the affair, Joseph Reinach, Emile Zola, and Alfred Dreyfus (Un bal a l'Elysee), drawing for poster no. 26
Yves-Guyot, Former Minister of Publc Works, journalist and director of the Dreyfusard newspaper Le Siecle (Porte ca a Dreyfus), drawing for poster no. 29
Joseph Reinach, politican (Que le chambardement commence), drawing for poster no. 34
Nathan Mayer, son of Anselm Mayer, the founder of a London bank, (Nathan Mayer ou l'origine des millards), drawing for poster no. 42
We are grateful to Professor Bertrand Tillier of the University of Paris, author of the recently published "Les artistes et l'affaire Dreyfus: 1898 - 1908" for his expertise and opinion.