Versified Prints: A Literary and Cultural Phenomenon in Eighteenth-Century France

The term ‘versified prints’ is used to describe images that are accompanied by poetic explanatory text. They were immensely popular and diffused throughout Europe in the eighteenth century, and many were shown at the Salon du Louvre. Although not all print verses are signed, their authors include occasional poets and members of the Academie Francaise. These prints remain among the most accessible documents for the study of art and society, but have never been examined before for their historical and cultural context.

With 112 full-page reproductions, Versified Prints offers an engaging and informative introduction to these intriguing works. W. McAllister Johnson’s guide discusses print production, the nature of sources, and the relationship and transformations in both text and images. Proposing a typology and methodology for this artistic phenomenon, Versified Prints enhances our knowledge of this fascinating new area of research and lays the groundwork for future studies.