An Inside View of the Print Market in Paris (1881): A Contract between Félix Bracquemond and the Arnold & Tripp Gallery to Realize a Plate after Théodore Rousseau

Abstract

A recent discovery in the archives of the GRI exposes another facet of dealers’ strategies. A group of seven letters, including a very detailed contract between the Parisian gallery Arnold & Tripp and the painter and etcher Félix Bracquemond (1833–1914) in order to realize a plate after a painting by Théodore Rousseau (1812–67), sheds light on the economic aspects of the market for prints, and illustrates all the aspects of the deal, from the formal agreement, to the various phases of the proofs, and ultimately to the final plate to be presented at the Paris Salon of 1882.