Design for a Program for a Musical Soirée c. 19th century

Curator: This sketch by Luc-Olivier Merson, dating back to 1884, is a design for a musical soirée program, now housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's like a memory, isn't it? Faint impressions... a woman by a tree, a hovering figure, all in delicate lines. Melancholic, almost. Curator: Merson, a master of academic painting, also designed stamps and currency. This sketch gives us a glimpse into the planning stages for a smaller, more intimate event, not a grand statement. Editor: I love seeing the artist's mind at work. The smudges, the corrections…it's more revealing than any polished painting. It sings with a tentative, hopeful energy. Curator: It’s interesting how Merson employs classical figures in what was meant to be a modern setting, hinting at a continuity between high art and popular culture. Editor: It whispers of evenings filled with music, dreams caught on paper... a reminder that art, in any form, connects us to moments long past.