Charles Leandre (1862-1934) - The Wedding - Lithograph

Exhibition: Cabourg, Villa du Temps retrouvé, mars-novembre 2023

A versatile artist with a unique universe and a fruitful career, Charles Leandre distinguished himself particularly in the field of lithography, obtaining a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1900, then, in 1921 at the Salon de la Société des artistes français, the Medal of Honor. His lithographic production includes several fans, including this one, made for the Henry Monnier ball, organized on June 1, 1904 by the Société des dessinateurs humoristes, over which Leandre presided. Several other members also provided models for fans that ball attendees could enter to win in a raffle.
At this costume party, Leandre took on the role of Joseph Prudhomme, a character created by Monnier of an arrived bourgeois, imbecile and full of himself, living under the July Monarchy. The man of imposing build who, in this lithograph, grabs the young bride and bends down to kiss her has all the attributes of Mr. Prudhomme: paunchy belly, bald head, sideburns, coat and spectacles.
Did Leandre, who lived in a feminine environment, having lost his father very young, intend to denounce the place of the woman, condemned to obey first of all her parents, then to a husband whom she does not has most often not chosen? Smaller than the others, the face of the bride is turned out of the spectator's field of vision, as if to underline the little place she holds in this event, however decisive for the rest of her life.