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Source Description
This portrait is one of only a few that Alexandre Bida—known primarily for his depictions of North Africa—created during his career. It depicts the celebrated French poet and novelist Alfred de Musset (1810–1857). Bida was commissioned to create illustrations for an 1865 publication of Musset’s collected writings, and the drawing was likely completed in commemoration of that project.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
74637
label
Portrait of Alfred de Musset (1810-1857)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
74637
contentType
drawing
title
Portrait of Alfred de Musset (1810-1857)
description
This portrait is one of only a few that Alexandre Bida—known primarily for his depictions of North Africa—created during his career. It depicts the celebrated French poet and novelist Alfred de Musset (1810–1857). Bida was commissioned to create illustrations for an 1865 publication of Musset’s collected writings, and the drawing was likely completed in commemoration of that project.
date
c. 1850s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79875821
creators
13275
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 43.6 x 30.7 cm (17 3/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
cul
France, 19th century
accession
2019.62
Source extras
tec
black chalk and graphite with stumping, watercolor, gouache, and fabricated colored chalk on medium weight wove paper
tombstone
Portrait of Alfred de Musset (1810-1857), c. 1850s. Alexandre Bida (French, 1823–1895). Black chalk and graphite with stumping, watercolor, gouache, and fabricated colored chalk on medium weight wove paper; overall: 43.6 x 30.7 cm (17 3/16 x 12 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin, 2019.62
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
Watermark: Wise / 1820, vertical at lower right
inscription
Signed, at lower right, in black chalk: “A Bida”
didYouKnow
Alexandre Bida was an accomplished illustrator and produced images to accompany an 1865 edition of the works of Alfred de Musset, this portrait’s sitter.
citations
citation
Rohowsky, Peter S. French Nineteenth Century Drawings, Pastels, Watercolors: Nov. 1977-Feb. 1978. New York: Shepherd Gallery Associates, 1977.
page_number
p. 10, ill no. 7
creditline
Bequest of Muriel Butkin
updatedAt
2026-05-29 04:57:03.916000
sourceId
74637
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
black chalk and graphite with stumping, watercolor, gouache, and fabricated colored chalk on medium weight wove paper
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
87972dbf2d5a8b7a