Asleep At Work, By Théophile Alexandre Steinlen

Endormie à l'ouvrage, charcoal drawing on paper by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen.

Swiss-born Steinlen moved to Montmartre in 1883 and quickly became a key figure on the art scene in this booming neighborhood. Sensitive to social ideas, his art often took local women as models. In this drawing, a young seamstress appears to have fallen asleep while working by the light of her lamp, certainly exhausted by her day's labor. Another leitmotif of Steinlen's work is represented here: the cat. Steinlen was so enamored of felines that his home was nicknamed Cat's Cottage, and of course he produced one of the most famous posters of his time, for the Cabaret du Chat Noir.

Paper curled and folded in upper left corner.

Frame dimensions : height : 58.5cm width : 68.5cm