"the Romantics Expelled From The Temple" Watercolor And Gummed Caricature Hugo Dumas Framed 1838

Big heads !

DE BARRAY or ROUBAUD (Benjamin) - The Romantics expelled from the temple. Theatrical Album, plate N°2.

P., Chez Bauger, r. du Croissant, 16, Imp. d'Aubert & Cie, sd (1838), 1 framed plate (dimensions at sight: 280 x 230 mm), frame from the 19th century. in burl veneer (465 x 370 mm). Browning of the paper, colors that have remained very fresh.

Superb caricature in watercolor and erased on white of Dumas, Hugo and Lemaître, chased away by Rachel, originally published in Caricature Provisoire of Dec. 1838.

Copies in period color are extremely rare.

According to the La Maison de Victor Hugo website:

Iconographic description: This caricature shows Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas driven out of the "French Theater" and heading towards the "Théâtre de la Renais Cendre", an allusion to the Renaissance Theater they have just created. Dumas carries a banner with the motto "Adultery Incest! Murder! Blood! Death! Damnation!". Victor Hugo carries a bag inscribed "joke", a bottle of "poison" and the text of "Ruy Blas" under his arm. In front of them, from behind, the actor Frédérick Lemaître who has just created the role of Ruy Blas, holds a pair of boots and a "Toledo" sword. Historical comment: This caricature, published in "La Caricature Provisional", No. 6, of December 23, 1838, was the subject of a separate edition under the heading "Theatrical Album", by Bauger, publisher of "La Caricature" and "Charivari ". She alludes to the creation of the Renaissance theater, the theater company Installed in the Salle Ventadour, which was founded on the initiative of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas by Anténor Joly, in order to have a troupe to play the romantic repertoire. She then just inaugurated her programming on November 8, 1838 with the creation of "Ruy Blas", with Frédérick Lemaître in the title role. The unsigned lithograph, generally attributed to Benjamin Roubaud, is given in the commentary published on the 2nd page of the newspaper to “M. de Barray”: “drawings. / M. de Barray, who greatly esteems the talent of Mlle Rachel, nevertheless shows her to us with unflattering features: it is she who is here the personification of the renewed tragedy of the Greeks, whom the artist hardly likes, and a theatrical administration he doesn't like. The romantics, driven out of the Védel temple, take refuge in that of Renais-Cendre, and do very well”. It is in fact a "provisional" pseudonym of Benjamin Roubaud created by Philipon at the time of the launch of "La Caricature provisional" as confirmed by a catalog of the publications of Beauger (Bauger) in "Le Charivari" of March 31, 1842 which specifies: "The romantics expelled from the temple, by Benjamin....50".

We would especially like to thank Jean-Paul Roubaud for this precious information concerning the attribution of this engraving, do not hesitate to visit the excellent site which he devotes, in collaboration with Pierre Quiblier, to Benjamin Roubaud.