Charles Meryon Autographed Letter 24 - 1854

Curator: This autographed letter from Charles Meryon, dated 1854, really allows us to get into the weeds of artistic production in 19th-century France. It is an etching and ink on paper and is held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: It’s so neat to see an artist's actual handwriting. It feels… personal. I am drawn to how every stroke carries so much information about not only the words and their intent, but also how the letter physically came to be. How do you read a piece like this? Curator: We must first understand that this is a negotiation, a material transaction. Meryon writes to a director, presumably for support for his publication, "Monuments of Paris." What interests me are the logistics—the 'boards' or printing plates, the costs associated with additions, even down to the number of copies requested. Consider the labour involved in each stage: the artist's creation, the printing process, the distribution. Editor: That's interesting. I hadn’t really considered all the hands involved or how it relates to the art object and what’s on it. Curator: Precisely! These are the material conditions that allowed the artwork to exist. Look closely—he also mentions a work on Bourges, which requires a "new inscription." He’s describing labour, time, and requesting very specific aid. Editor: So, it's not just about Meryon's artistic genius but also the entire economic system and labour that supports that genius. I now also read the document in a new light. Thank you for shedding light on this context! Curator: Indeed, and that awareness deepens our understanding of Meryon and his art and labor in Paris, in 1854.