"Jeanne, the Redhead" from The Complete Works of Béranger 1836

Curator: Today we’re looking at an etching by J.J. Grandville, dating from 1836. It's titled "Jeanne, the Redhead" from The Complete Works of Béranger, and it’s a piece currently held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the weight in this image, both literally and figuratively. You see this woman, likely a mother, burdened with children, and you sense a deep story of survival embedded in that weight. Curator: Grandville made this print as one of many illustrations for a collection of songs by Béranger. Etchings like this one, made with ink on paper, would have allowed these images to be mass-produced alongside the sheet music. The materials themselves enabled wider cultural dissemination of both image and song. Editor: I am so interested in that distant figure looming in the background, almost a spectre. He appears to be a soldier. It adds an air of historical context— perhaps reflecting social anxieties or realities tied to war or conscription. He’s a very imposing symbol. Curator: Absolutely, the technical execution in the etching allowed Grandville to render that detail, like the soldier and even the scattered leaves, quite sharply. He achieves various tones and textures using a dense network of lines. You can see the meticulous craftsmanship. The reproductive processes employed in printmaking during this period speak volumes about industrial changes affecting art production, no? Editor: And speaking of those scattered leaves, observe how they frame her feet as she strides forward, seemingly in motion, despite being in an outdoor setting. Their placement reminds me of the frailty of life and how all living beings weather through challenges over time. What visual metaphor. Curator: Yes, the landscape seems to reflect the woman’s state; it isn’t a serene or idealized natural setting. We see, again, evidence of process and the labor inherent not just in this etching but the circumstances surrounding the subject herself. Editor: It truly is evocative— I appreciate now how both artistic technique and symbolism blend into this emotionally rich snapshot of a moment. Curator: Exactly, considering all that, it seems a worthy thing to pause and examine even further.