Ezelsvel 1876 - 1900

Demoulin & Co. Vignerot created this print called "Ezelsvel" – or "Donkeyskin" – using a chromolithographic process, as part of the Imagerie Artistique series in Paris. We see a sequence of images, likely depicting scenes from a fairy tale, and it's worth considering how the narrative structure of the artwork speaks to its broader social context. The fairy tale alludes to an incestuous father-daughter relationship, which touches on complex cultural anxieties around family, power and transgression. The visual codes used here, the clothing, the architecture, reference established artistic conventions for depicting royalty and peasants, and understanding these associations helps us interpret the print's commentary on social hierarchies. To fully grasp the artwork’s meaning, one might explore historical records of French publishing, folklore studies, and feminist interpretations of fairy tales. Such interdisciplinary research illuminates how seemingly simple images can reflect complex social and institutional dynamics.