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BEM, Elizaveta Merkurievna (illustrator).

Sketches from Children's Lives; Types from the Krylov's Fables.

Stock Code
94728
Felten, Skt. Peterburg, 1877
£500

Two early series of illustrations 'in silhouette' technique by one of the most celebrated Russian illustrators of children's literature.

A silhouette portrait was brought to Russian by French artists in the XVIII century and gained tremendous popularity at the court of Catherine II. The traditional method of creating silhouette portraits was to cut them from lightweight black cardboard, and mount them on a pale background.

Elizaveta Bem (1843 – 1914), who completed her studies at the Drawing school of artists encouragement in Saint Petersburg, developed her own approach to this traditional art. She used lithography – a technique that allowed her to achieve maximally detailed depiction of her subjects.

Her first album titled simply 'Silhouettes' was published in 1875 at the lithography studio of Il'in, her uncle. Encouraged by its success, Bem created 'Sketches from Children's Lives' two years later, which was followed by many more albums in the same technique.

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Description

Two landscape portfolios (27.7 x 35 cm). Complete with 12 unnumbered plates and 8 lithographed plates accordingly, loose as issued. Both in publisher's illustrated wrappers; small marginal tears, spine of 'Sketches from Children's Lives' split.

Bibliography

Stock ID:94728

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