Preview
Creation Date
Late 19th century
Geography
France
Culture
French
Medium
Lithograph (?)
Dimensions
With frame: 12 1/2 × 10 1/16 × 1/2 in. (31.7 × 25.6 × 1.3 cm)
Credit Line
Long-term Loan from the Estate of Boris Blick, 2015
Accession Number
2015.94
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings
Above images, upper center: "La SEMAINE DE L'AFFAIRE !!! par Maurice Marais."
Beneath upper left image: "1. — Je puis bien cons favouer... cette affaire / an'abrutit... / — Pallais vous e dire"
Beneath upper center image: "2. — M'sieur l'agent, le locataire du cintiéme est / en train d'estourbir sa femme... / — Ça, je m'es contrefiche !!! Aprés l'affaire!"
Beneath upper right image: "3. — Oh ! ma mère! qui qui aurait jamais du / qu'a cause de e't'affaire la pàtisserie acclamerait / l'armée française dans la personné de ton fils!!!"
Beneath central left image: "4. — Murmures du bal: / — Et vous, mademoiselle, quell, / est votre opinion sur l'affaire?"
Beneath central center image: "6. —'Mais fallait done l'dire, s'péce de vieille gourde, / que vous étiez pour l'affaire, l'aurais pas derangé me / verscuso."
Beneath first central right image: "5. — Pouis trés taible... / — Mais, doeteur... / — Abl pardon! cette affaire afabeorbe tellement!"
Beneath second central right image: "7. — Si monsieur désire des papiers où on ne / parle pas de l'affaire, c'est cinq centimes en ṗlus.", within upper left corner of image "AVEC / TOILETTE / 10 c —"
Beneath lower left image: "8. — Ciel! mon paucre amt, qu'as- / tu? / — Moi, rien ! Au fumoir, on a un / peu parlé de l'affaire."
Beneath first lower center image: "9. — Oh ! pas si yite ! D'abord que / penses-tu de l'affaire ?"
Beneath second lower center image: "10. — Je n'y au en- / core rien compris a / c't'affaire."
Beneath lower right image: "11 — Les seuls qui profitent de l'af- / faire", within lower right corner of image, "MAURICE MARAiS"
[All 11 images contain depictions of newspapers on which all or part of "L'AFFAiRE!" can be read.]
Gold sticker on back of frame, lower center: "packard / gallery / 933 WEST EXCHANGE STREET / AKRON, OHIO 43022"
Creator Biography
Maurice Mauris, French, 1852–1898 (illustrator).
Description
La Semaine De L'Affaire or The Week of the Affair depicts eleven vignettes of people discussing l'affaire with each containing a newspaper in various states of reading and abandonment whose front page headlines "L'AFFAiRE!".
The print references the Dreyfus affair, which took place between 1894 and 1906 and revolved around the debate of whether or not Alfred Dreyfus, a French military officer who allegedly sold military secrets to the Germans, was guilty of the treason for which he was convicted.
According to Professor Sarah Blick, the print comes from a 19th-century humor magazine making fun of the title of the Dreyfus Affair, and people being confused by that word and it's salacious double meaning. The Dreyfus Affair was something her father (Boris Blick) was deeply interested in and affected by.