Young Woman Reading (1896): Art, History and Details

Young Woman Reading (1896) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (French, 1856–1909).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Primarily a sculptor of medals, Charpentier used embossing techniques to lend three-dimensionality to this print featuring his typical subject matter featuring everyday life. Charpentier was also aware of Japanese woodcuts circulating in Paris during the late 19th century, which provided a precedent for using embossing to create pattern and a three-dimensional effect on a flat sheet of paper. The areas in relief add texture to the waves of the woman's hair and to her dress. Embossing was also used to create the vase of flowers just above the figure's open book.

Object facts

• Title: Young Woman Reading
• Date: 1896
• Creator attribution: Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (French, 1856–1909)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: embossed color lithograph
• Dimensions: Image: 16 x 22.8 cm (6 5/16 x 9 in.); Sheet: 20 x 28.5 cm (7 7/8 x 11 1/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Lithograph
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1991.228

A detail from the museum

Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier was a proponent of Art Nouveau interior design and decoration.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• O'Brien, Joanie. “The Library's New Role.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 63, no. 1 (2023): 20-21.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.