La grande caricature (1875)

Overview

On 1 January 1876, at the end of the carnet, Marie looks at "la grande caricature, où nous sommes cinq" and her thoughts run to Mme Prodgers, the English ladies, the Niçois, Sapho, Mignon and "le printemps dernier" (051.0298). That is the only description: a large caricature in which five people appear ("nous", so Marie is probably one of them), kept in her room at Nice. Where it is, and whether it survives, is unknown; no image is known.

Marie and this work

The picture is most likely one of the group of caricatures she made in autumn 1875 of her Nice circle, in oils: on 8 September she finds caricatures in an illustrated paper to use "pour celles que je veux faire du surprenant mais stupide Emile d'Audiffret" (042.0018); on 10 September she has "fait descendre les caricatures à l'huile" and tries to paint Audiffret (043.0021); on 22 September a canvas of Smirnoff's caricature is shown to visitors (044.0056); on 17 December Audiffret himself speaks of "mes caricatures" (050.0908). The identification of the "grande caricature" with this group is an inference from dates and subject, not stated by Marie. The reference to the five persons is not explained, and none of the other paragraphs names them.

References in Diary

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