Chromolithograph by Jean Baptiste Guth (1855-1922) titled “Cyrano”. This piece was produced by Vanity Fair magazine in 1901 in a series of pictures called Men of the Day. This piece is after the original which was produced in 1901. It is double matted and framed under glass in an ornate golden frame. With frame, it measures 23 inches x 31 inches. This piece was acquired from a Metro Washington DC estate.
An original Vanity Fair chromolithograph titled Chinese Diplomat, published in 1896. Illustrated by Jean Baptiste Guth, a distinguished artist known for his contributions to Vanity Fair's iconic series of caricatures. Printed by Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, one of the foremost lithographers of the 19th century. This artwork captures the subject in traditional Chinese attire, exhibiting fine detailing and vibrant coloration that highlight Guthss distinctive style. The artist's signature, Guth, is dated 1896 in the lower right corner. Vanity Fair color lithographs, celebrated for their satirical yet respectful portrayals of prominent figures, are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of historical art. Dimensions with frame: 12.50"L x 16.50"H x 1.25"W Artist: Jean Baptiste Guth (French 1855-1922 ) Issued: 1896 Dimensions: See Description Country of Origin: France
Original chromolithograph on paper by French artist Jean Baptiste Guth for Vanity Fair depicting President of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation Jules Quesnay de Beaurepaire, in the robe of his former position as Chief Prosecutor. Artist signature: Guth, number 92 on lower right. Date in the upper right: Feb 4 1893. Sight dimensions: 10"L x 15"H. Frame dimensions: 10.5"L x 15.5"H x 0.5"D. Artwork can be unframed and rolled for shipment. Artist: Jean Baptiste Guth (French, 1855-1922) Issued: 1893 Dimensions: See Description Country of Origin: France
Color print of Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, the caricature by Jean-Baptiste Guth for Vanity Fair in 1898. Esterhazy was charged as a spy during the Dreyfus Affair. [Frame: 17 1/4" H x 11 3/4" W]. Toning; marks to frame.
[DREYFUS, AFFAIR.] BOUCHOR, JOSEPH-FÉLIX. (1853-1937). French portrait artist. Drawing. 1p. Large 4to. (9 ½” x 12 ½”). [Rennes, 1899]. Bouchor’s eyewitness, two-portrait courtroom pencil sketch of Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), one of his head and chest, the other of him seated, wearing his military uniform, hat held in his lap. The number “14,” written in the right margin, refers to Dreyfus’ regiment number sewn onto his collar. Accompanied by a color print of the famous Jean Baptiste Guth drawing of Dreyfus on trial at Rennes published in Vanity Fair, which bears a striking resemblance to Bouchor’s drawing. Alfred Dreyfus’ 1894 conviction for treason and his subsequent exile and imprisonment on the French Guiana penal colony Devil’s Island hinged on an intercepted memo, or bordereau, which revealed French military secrets that had been sent anonymously to the German embassy’s military attaché, Captain Schwartzkoppen, in Paris. The memo’s actual author was French Major Marie-Charles-Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy, a spy in German employ. Additional evidence, intended to implicate Dreyfus, was secretly forged and submitted by French Army officers to the military judges presiding over the proceedings. The truth finally emerged in the summer of 1898 after Lieutenant Colonel Hubert-Joseph Henry confessed to his forgeries and killed himself in a military prison and Esterhazy fled to England. General Boisdeffre, the army’s Chief of the General Staff who had been convinced of Dreyfus’ guilt from the beginning, resigned after Henry’s confession. Considering these events, the court annulled the 1894 judgment against Dreyfus and granted him a second military trial in Rennes. Dreyfus, frail and in poor health, sailed from his island exile on June 9, 1899, to appear at the Rennes trial on August 7th. Journalists and artists from around the world swarmed Rennes to observe the trial that would be “a culminating point of l’affaire. It was the last opportunity for the military system of justice to redeem itself… The first military tribunal [in 1894] had been able to insist that no hearings be conducted publicly. At Rennes, the second military tribunal held all hearings publicly, except for one, and the fact that the court insisted on holding any at all behind closed doors both exacerbated criticism of the proceedings and was hotly contested by the defense, for this time the eyes of the country and of the world were fixed on Rennes. The world press was ready to convict France if France convicted Dreyfus. And France itself, author of the Rights of Man and Citizens, country of the philosophes, and of the Enlightenment, was only too painfully aware of this,” (“The Military Trial at Rennes: Text and Subtext of the Dreyfus Affair,” Touro Law Review, Curran). The trial was covered in detail by newspapers and magazines worldwide and was even dramatized in Georges Méliès series of short silent films, produced concurrently with the trial to become the first ever film serial! (Nine of the eleven films can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Re6Y1G8_U). “By the time the Rennes trial took place, proof of his innocence abounded,” (The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus, Bredin). He was defended at court by Demange, who had been engaged by his family in 1894, and by prominent criminal attorney Ferdinand Labori, who had defended Emile Zola after his famous publication of J’Accuse…! One week into the trial, on August 14, Labori was shot in the back by a would-be assassin on his way to the courtroom. Though badly wounded, he returned to court on August 22. During the trial “Dreyfus spoke at length, and always confidently and with impressive specificity and precision, reconstituting events, showing how and why his accusers could not be telling the truth… On numerous occasions throughout the trial, he broke out in protest against the injustice and inaccuracy of testimony and, as he put it, its calumnious nature,” (op. cit., Curran). On September 9, the judges, by a majority of five to two, found Dreyfus guilty of treason under the absurd concept “extenuating circumstances,” and sentenced him to ten years detention. Ten days later President Émile Loubet issued Dreyfus a pardon. Dreyfus, initially opposed to accepting any pardon as it would have compelled him to withdraw his petition for a legal revision and acknowledge responsibility for a crime he steadfastly maintained he never committed, finally agreed to acquiesce, providing he could continue to try to clear his name. Despite the ongoing vitriolic attacks in the press and public displays by anti-Dreyfus elements, the Court of Cassation finally declared Dreyfus innocent 1906. The Dreyfus Affair’s significance is so far-reaching that the human rights movement, the origins of modern-day Zionism (Theodor Herzl was in Paris covering Dreyfus’ first trial for his Viennese newspaper), and the French separation of church and state can all claim to have been born during this dark chapter in French history. Educated at the Beaux-Arts and an exhibitor at the Salon des Artistes Francis, Bouchor became known for his portraits of General John Pershing and French President Georges Clemenceau (a supporter of Dreyfus and publisher of Zola’s “J’Accuse...!”) as well as his illustrations of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I and Orientalist paintings inspired by his travels in North Africa. Provenance: Isabelle Lazar (nee Grumbacher), wife of Jewish journalist Bernard Lazare, anarchist, literary critic and one of Dreyfus’ earliest and most vocal defenders who covered the Rennes trial for The Chicago Record and The North American Review. Accompanied by a single page from Vanity Fair, with the classic image of Dreyfus at Rennes, similar to our drawing. Some light wear, otherwise fine.
Jean Baptise Guth (French, 1855-1922) "The Little Father" multicolor lithograph. Published by Vincent Brooks Bay & Son, Rith. Image 15" H x 10" W, frame 16.5" H x 11" W. Provenance: Removed from a 30 Waterside Plaza estate.
Anatole France Writer signed and dated 'Guth/1909' (lower right) and inscribed 'Anatole France' (upper left) pastel, watercolour and bodycolour 22 1/2 x 14 in. (57.2 x 35.6 cm.)
Major Esterhazy Military Officer and Spy signed and dated 'Guth 98' (lower right) pencil and watercolour 12 1/4 x 6 3/4 in. (31.2 x 17.2 cm.) See back cover illustration, detail
M. Théophile Delcassé, 'French Foreign Officer' French Statesman and Foreign Minister signed and dated 'Guth 98' (lower right) pencil and watercolour 12 1/4 x 6 1/2 in. (31.2 x 16.5 cm.)
