Man in a Nightshirt Reaching for a Bottle Labeled "Fountain of Youth" 1803 - 1847

This is J.J. Grandville’s ink drawing, “Man in a Nightshirt Reaching for a Bottle Labeled ‘Fountain of Youth’”. It was made sometime during the first half of the 19th century. Grandville lived through the post-revolutionary and Napoleonic eras in France. It was a time when traditional hierarchies were being questioned but social anxieties persisted. In this drawing, we see a gaunt, older man in his nightshirt, a picture of aging vulnerability. He is reaching for a bottle labeled "Fountain of Youth," a symbol of the vain hope to recapture lost vitality. Grandville's work often satirized social mores, laying bare the absurdities of human behavior. He was known for his ability to blend the human and animal worlds to create striking visual metaphors. The man's exaggerated features and the grim scene might make us think about the ways society values youth and beauty over wisdom and experience, and the personal struggles we all face as we age. The drawing offers us a stark, emotional reflection on mortality, reminding us of our shared human condition.