Who Do You Take Me For by J.J Grandville

This hand-colored lithograph from J.J. Grandville's celebrated Les Métamorphoses du Jour captures the French master's genius for social satire through anthropomorphic imagery. Plate XXXI, titled 'Pour qui qu'vous m'prenez?' (Who Do You Take Me For?), depicts a comic encounter between military figures rendered as donkeys and rabbits, with a monkey flower-seller, beneath a posted 'Bulletin de la Grande Armée,' a pointed reference to Napoleonic military dispatches. Grandville's work from the late 1820s established the visual language of anthropomorphic satire that would influence generations of illustrators, from John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland characters to early Disney animation. The delicate hand-coloring brings life to the blue military uniforms and green shawl, while the fine line work demonstrates Grandville's masterful draughtsmanship. This plate comes from the 1854 posthumous edition published by Gustave Havard, printed by the renowned J. Claye workshop. A sophisticated piece of French visual culture that bridges political commentary and artistic innovation. Size: 6.5" x 10.0" Artist: J.J. Grandville (Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard) Condition: Very Good