Louis Auguste Legrand Delaleu 1786

Curator: This engraving by Pierre Philippe presents Louis Auguste Legrand Delaleu. What strikes you about it? Editor: Well, it feels very formal, almost like a stamp of approval or a record of status. What's your interpretation of this portrait within its historical context? Curator: It's interesting you say that. Consider the French Revolution brewing at the time. How might this image, presenting Delaleu, an *avocat au parlement*, be viewed in relation to the shifting power dynamics of that period? Editor: I hadn't thought of that! It feels like a preservation of the old order, even as it was crumbling. Curator: Exactly. Images like these can be powerful tools in understanding the anxieties and aspirations of a society on the cusp of radical change. Editor: I see that now. Thanks, that's given me a lot to think about regarding art as a historical and political record.