Head of a Child (1893)

Dated 1893, "Head of a Child" is an artwork by Alphonse Legros. Context for 1893: Japanese prints reached Europe in large numbers and influenced many artists, while photography changed what painting needed to do. In the 1890s, colour lithography and Art Nouveau made the illustrated poster a celebrated art form. Drawings, a short history: Because line carries so much of the effect, drawings tend to reward close looking at the quality of the mark. Artists have long used drawings to plan paintings, sculptures, and buildings, so a sketch can show how an idea developed. The catalogue places it in Drawings. The format is portrait.

"Head of a Child" is offered as a printable file (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI) rather than a shipped item. You receive the files by email after payment and handle printing yourself, which gives you full control over paper, size, and finish. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Measuring the wall before choosing a size is the simplest way to avoid a print that feels too small or too large. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing.

French, 1837–1911

If you like the visual language of Alphonse Legros, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.