Presenting My Daughter by J.J. Grandville

This delightful hand-colored plate from J.J. Grandville's celebrated satirical series "Les Métamorphoses du Jour" presents a wickedly funny scene of social ambition among the French bourgeoisie. A fish-headed gentleman, resplendent in formal evening attire, presents his turkey-headed daughter to an imposing owl-headed military officer, complete with medals and ceremonial sash. The French caption translates to "My Lord, I present to you my respects as well as my daughter," laying bare the transactional nature of aristocratic courtship. Grandville (1803-1847) pioneered the use of animal-human hybrids as vehicles for social criticism, creating a visual vocabulary that would influence artists from John Tenniel to Walt Disney. His fantastical creatures possessed an unsettling quality that later inspired the Surrealists. This plate comes from the 1854 Gustave Havard posthumous edition, printed by the esteemed J. Claye of Paris. The hand-coloring demonstrates skilled period application, with the turkey's vivid pink wattle, the fish's silvery-blue scales, and the officer's gold-trimmed uniform all carefully rendered. A sophisticated addition for collectors of French caricature, early animation precursors, or Victorian-era social satire. Size: 6.5" x 10.0" Artist: J.J. Grandville (Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard) Condition: Very Good