Le repas de noce, blue pencil drawing by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, monogrammed St lower right.
Steinlen was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1859, and trained in industrial drawing in Mulhouse in 1879. He moved to Paris in 1881, settling in Montmartre.
Here, he met many artists and cabaret owners, and became a key figure in the life of the district. His friends included Erik Satie, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Rodolphe Salis and Aristide Bruant.
Steinlen depicts Montmartre neighborhood life, sensitive to the plight of the city's indigent and poor.
The drawing we present is representative of the artist's interest in everyday scenes. Here, a rather humble wedding meal in a café. Steinlen's lively pencil brilliantly synthesizes the postures and emotions of the subjects in this scene.
