L'Infirmière (The Nurse), Hermann-Paul

Artwork Overview

Hermann-Paul, artist
1864–1940
L'Infirmière (The Nurse), 1914–1918
Where object was made: France
Material/technique: hand coloring; woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 241 x 325 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 9 1/2 x 12 13/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 263 x 384 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 10 3/8 x 15 1/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 16 x 20 in
Credit line: Gift of Professor Eric Gustav Carlson
Accession number: 2014.0477
Not on display

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

During World War I, nurses were mythologized for their roles in healing the ill and injured. They were variously portrayed as courageous and heroic, caring and gentle, and steadfast companions who provided both emotional and bodily support to soldiers. This print by French cartoonist Hermann-Paul plays on many of these stereotypes: here, a nurse stands ready to guide a blinded soldier. Yet other details, such as the flowers framing the scene, the church tower in the distance, and her stylish white dress and hat with trailing fabric, invoke a nurse-as-bride trope that romanticized the relationships between nurses and their patients.

Exhibitions

Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
2021
Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
2021