Theater Program for Sleeping Beauty, Silver Wedding, and Ahasvère

Henri-Gabriel Ibels

1893

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

About this work

This print shows four people in a dimly lit theater. Two women sit in the front row, one reading a program, the other looking down. A man in a dark coat leans forward, holding a cane. Behind them, another man stands, staring blankly. The seats are red, the walls are dark, and the stage lights are dim. The artist used bold colors and rough lines to show the scene quickly. The faces look a little flat, like sketches. This style was common in the late 1800s. Look up lithography to see how artists like this made prints.