I must confess that this drawing baffles me a bit. I know it’s French and, obviously, it represents a barrister at work in a courtroom. The figures are loosely drawn in charcoal and pencil and are rendered quickly in the style of caricature. The lower right of the drawing clearly states the date as May, 1889. Much is written above that—at an angle. However, the words have been smudged over time and are written in French. What’s particularly interesting about this piece is that upon framing it, someone has written in ink on the mat. The handwriting is florid, and also written in French. Now, I am guilty of having overly florid handwriting myself which, admittedly is old-fashioned and probably quite difficult to read. So, I can’t fault whoever wrote this. From what I can best decipher, it says that this drawing is a souvenir of Msr. Lombard Paull, Doctor of “something,” 10th of March, 1890. And it is signed beneath that “something” Albert.
When I first encountered this piece, I thought it was an engraving. On closer inspection, I can see that the edges extend past the natural rectangular area which would denote that it was a print.
Regardless, it’s an interesting and attractive piece of history. Sometimes a little mystery is healthy.
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