1847 Les Fleurs Animees " Narcisse" Hand Color Engraving by J. J. Grandville

Jean Ignace Isadore Gerard ( September 13, 1803- March 17, 1847) is known to many by his pseudonym, J.J. Grandville, a very popular and renown French caricaturist. Born in Nancy, France , Jean was raised by a theatrical and artistic family- he took on the name “Grandville” after his grandfather’s professional stage name and was taught by his father, a painter of miniatures.
One of Grandville’s supreme achievements was the Les Fleurs Animes, a series of 54 plates released at a time when French printing technology was ascendant. A masterpiece of botanical illustration, this series of handcolored engravings displays floral maidens, each taking on the personality of her adorned flower. As such, the Forget-Me-Not mourns her loneliness and the exotic Tulip bewitches those who look upon her. Published in 1847, Les Fleurs Animées imagines a world where the flowers reclaim the meanings bestowed upon them by a covetous Victorian audience, and become actresses in their own drama.

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