Henri Boutet
Encyclopedia
Henri Boutet "le Petit Maître au corset", was a French Belle Époque
artist whose work focused on the genre "La Parisienne". He candidly depicted women ranging from ordinary shop assistants to elegant ladies, managing to portray their common qualities of coquettishness and femininity.
His success was in large measure due to his portraying of attractive young women using etching
, drypoint
and engraving
. His prints were often in limited editions of 20. With the growth of his success, Boutet targeted a wider market by doing his own publishing and using the "eau-fort synthetique"
process, which resembled a more expensive etching technique. His talent for illustrating led to his producing graphics for magazines, menus and almanacs, items that are today eminently collectable.
In 1902 he published "Les Modes Feminines du XIXe Siecle" which met with instant acclaim. His 100 drypoint etchings showed the development of fashion for each year from 1801 to 1900 - drypoint etching results in an image with intrinsic softness of texture. The illustrations were hand-coloured, with close attention to detail, and a treatment that showed his affection for the subject matter. This collection of original etchings was limited to an edition of 600 copies.
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
artist whose work focused on the genre "La Parisienne". He candidly depicted women ranging from ordinary shop assistants to elegant ladies, managing to portray their common qualities of coquettishness and femininity.
His success was in large measure due to his portraying of attractive young women using etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
, drypoint
Drypoint
Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. Traditionally the plate was copper, but now acetate, zinc, or plexiglas are also commonly used...
and engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
. His prints were often in limited editions of 20. With the growth of his success, Boutet targeted a wider market by doing his own publishing and using the "eau-fort synthetique"
Aqua fortis
Aqua fortis, or "strong water," in alchemy, is a solution of nitric acid in water. Being highly corrosive, the solution was used in alchemy for dissolving silver and most other metals with the notable exception of gold, which can only be dissolved using aqua regia...
process, which resembled a more expensive etching technique. His talent for illustrating led to his producing graphics for magazines, menus and almanacs, items that are today eminently collectable.
In 1902 he published "Les Modes Feminines du XIXe Siecle" which met with instant acclaim. His 100 drypoint etchings showed the development of fashion for each year from 1801 to 1900 - drypoint etching results in an image with intrinsic softness of texture. The illustrations were hand-coloured, with close attention to detail, and a treatment that showed his affection for the subject matter. This collection of original etchings was limited to an edition of 600 copies.
Publications
- L'Art moderne, 1882-1883
- Autour des Parisiennes
- Les Modes Feminines du XIXe Siecle, 1902
- Les fils de Washington en France, 215 original lithographs, 1918
- Le Coeur de Paris en 1915 : Tableaux de la guerre, 1916
- L'Ame de Paris. : Tableaux de la guerre de 1914, 1915
- L'année féminine (1895) : les deshabillés au théâtre, 1896
- Les petits mémoires de Paris, 1908-1909
- Autour d'Elles : Le Lever-Le Coucher, 1899