In excellent condition, printed on a sheet with full margins.'Legrand's brilliantly executed drypoints and aquatints of the life of the 'café society' at the turn of the century in Paris have justifiably become very widely renowned over the past decades, and none more so than the large scale plates such as Deux Élèves . . . He had an unfailing eye for style and atmosphere, for the outward appearance of the elegant life which clothed every aspect of the life of the city. His reputation as a printmaker is founded not only on this sense of style but also on the genuinely brilliant handling of technique in his plates, the balance of drypoint line against aquatint tone, of open highlights against atmospheric shadow. Legrand first came to the attention of the public through his studies of the 'can-can' in 1891. The series was much admired by one of the leading publishers of the period, Gustave Pellet. From that point onwards Pellet issued almost all Legrand's prints and also sold his extremely popular pastels. By the turn of the century he was one of the most renowned and popular artists of the Belle Époque genre.

From the edition of 100 (apart from the deluxe edition of 30 each of which bore a remarque not present in the regular edition), numbered 7/100 in pencil also lower right. One of twelve plates from the album La Petite Classe, published by Gustave Pellet, Paris, bearing his monogram stamp (Lugt 1191) in red ink just outside the lower right corner of the plate.

Hand signed in pencil lower right Louis Legrand, also signed in the plate lower right.

A fine impression of the definitive state.

Exteens 259

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