La Petite loge ou L'Archifou
This amusing late 18th Century or early 19th Century caricature
has a fascinating story behind it. It shows The image shows
Jean-Jacques-Regis de Cambaceres (green jacket, reaching
for the stage) where his "mistress" is playing
a flute.
Cambaceres was one of the most famous French lawmakers
of the Revloutionary era, and one of the authors of the
Napoleonic code. He was also a bon vivant and quite openly
homosexual. Nontheless, to keep up appearances, he was expected
to have a mistress, and for this "role" he chose
the actress Henriette Guizot who had a show at the théâtre
des Variétés where she sang couplets dressed
as a boy. Cambacérès, a great theatre lover,
regularly attended these performances and always sat in
a box just at the edge of the stage, where we see him here.
The caption being uttered by one of Cambaceres friends reads
"souffler n'est pas jouer" (Simply Blowing isn't
Playing Music) -- it means to deceive someone through appearances.
The word 'Ouverture" is being uttered by the man on
the lower left.
Handcolored copperplate print
9 X 12 inches
SOLD
