644 - A. MENZEL (1815–1905), The Uprising of the Miners’ Wives, Wood engraving

A. MENZEL (1815–1905), The Uprising of the Miners’ Wives, Wood engraving Adolf Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (1815, Wrocław – 1905, Berlin): The Revolt of the Belgian Miners’ Wives, 19th century, wood engraving Technique: Wood engraving on paper Date: 19th century Description: inscribed “A.M.”, titled “A la Verrerie Casimir Lambert. — Les Femmes des Mineurs se jettent entre les artilleurs de la Garde Civique de Charleroi et les émeutiers.” Adolph Menzel is famous as a celebrated painter of large-scale works and an important 19th-century history painter. However, it is little known that he also left behind a rich body of printmaking work, as he was active for many years as an illustrator for literature and magazines. The print depicts a scene from the Belgian workers’ revolt of the 1880s. Following massive layoffs, the miners of Charleroi had initially planned a revolt, but the protest spread to other industries, including the glassworks. The scene depicted shows the miners’ wives in front of the Casimir Lamberts glass factory in Charleroi, who positioned themselves between the artillerymen and the insurgents, the “rebels.” Keywords: 19th century, Romanticism, Professions, Belgium, Size: Paper: 23.4 cm x 18.4 cm (9.2 x 7.2 in) Condition: Good condition. The left and lower margins of the sheet are slightly damaged from having been detached from a publication. Isolated foxing on the left margin; next to it, a crease mark near the lower right corner. Vertical crease in the lower part of the sheet.