Henri Boutet

Henri Boutet (1851 Sainte-Hermine, Vendée - 9 June 1919 Paris), "le Petit Maître au corset", was a French Belle Époque artist whose work focused on the genre "La Parisienne". He candidly depicted women ranging from ordinary shop assistants to elegant ladies, managing to portray their common qualities of coquettishness and femininity.

Contents

• Henri Boutet
• Publications
• References

His success was in large measure due to his portraying of attractive young women using etching, drypoint and engraving. His prints were often in limited editions of 20. With the growth of his success, Boutet targeted a wider market by doing his own publishing and using the "eau-fort synthetique" process, which resembled a more expensive etching technique. His talent for illustrating led to his producing graphics for magazines, menus and almanacs, items that are today eminently collectable.

In 1902 he published "Les Modes Feminines du XIX^e Siecle" which met with instant acclaim. His 100 drypoint etchings showed the development of fashion for each year from 1801 to 1900 - drypoint etching results in an image with intrinsic softness of texture. The illustrations were hand-coloured, with close attention to detail, and a treatment that showed his affection for the subject matter. This collection of original etchings was limited to an edition of 600 copies.

Publications

L'Art moderne, 1882-1883

Autour des Parisiennes

Les Modes Feminines du XIX^e Siecle, 1902

Les fils de Washington en France, 215 original lithographs, 1918

Le Coeur de Paris en 1915 : Tableaux de la guerre, 1916

L'Ame de Paris. : Tableaux de la guerre de 1914, 1915

L'année féminine (1895) : les deshabillés au théâtre, 1896

Les petits mémoires de Paris, 1908-1909

Autour d'Elles : Le Lever-Le Coucher, 1899