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Image

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen

Géomay

Description

Maker

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen (French, b. Switzerland, 1859-1923)

Title

Géomay

Year

1889

Medium

  • watercolor,
  • gouache,
  • crayon,
  • and graphite with pen and ink inscriptions

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • watercolor,
  • gouache,
  • crayon,
  • and graphite with pen and ink inscriptions

Materials

null

Dimensions

45.1 x 31 cm (17 3/4 x 12 3/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed, LL :Steinlen (ballad signed:A. Bruant)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Membership Fund

Object Number

70.104

Type

  • Drawings and Watercolors

Projects & Publications

Publications

  • Books

Selection V: French Watercolors and Drawings, ca. 1800-1910

French watercolors and drawings from the Museum's collection, ca. 1800-1910

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

French Drawings in the Time of Degas
Aug 19, 2005 – Jan 22, 2006

Label copy

This sheet illustrates lyrics written by Steinlen’s friend, the singer and songwriter Aristide Bruant (1851-1925). The topic is the execution of Fulges-Benjamin Géomay, a young French army corporal, at the Place de la Roquette on May 23, 1889, for the murder of a widowed wine seller. In his confession, Géomay claimed that he committed the murder because he needed money to support his mistress, a Montmartre prostitute and washerwoman. His case became a public sensation, and many Parisians attended the execution. Steinlen’s drawing indicates his well-known sympathy for the poor and his practice of chronicling humanitarian concerns. The artwork is thought to have been reproduced as sheet music to be sold in Bruant’s cafe, although no printed examples have been found.

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen (French, b. Switzerland, 1859-1923)
Géomay, 1889
Watercolor, gouache, crayon, and graphite with pen and ink inscriptions
45.1 x 31 cm (17 3/4 x 12 3/16 inches)
Museum Membership Fund 70.104

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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