Portrait of Denis Auguste Affre, Archbishop of Paris - Marie Alexandre Alophe

A mid-nineteenth-century lithograph by Marie Alexandre Alophe depicting the Archbishop of Paris, Denis Auguste Affre, during the 1848 June Days Uprising.

This lithograph by Marie Alexandre Alophe depicts Denis Auguste Affre, the Archbishop of Paris, who died during the June Days Uprising of 1848. The composition presents the Archbishop in a half-length pose, holding a green branch aloft, a gesture intended to symbolise his attempt to mediate peace between the insurgents and the government forces at the barricades of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The background features a faint, ghostly rendering of urban architecture, providing context to the event without distracting from the central figure.

Alophe, a skilled lithographer and photographer, captures the Archbishop with a focus on his facial expression and ecclesiastical attire. The technique employs subtle tonal gradations, characteristic of mid-nineteenth-century French lithography, to create a sense of volume and presence. The print includes a facsimile signature and a brief inscription referencing his death, which occurred shortly after he was struck by a stray bullet while carrying the olive branch.

As a historical document, the work reflects the public perception of the Archbishop as a martyr for peace during a period of intense political instability in France. The print was distributed by Goupil, Vibert & Cie, a firm known for its wide circulation of high-quality reproductions of contemporary art and portraiture. The monochromatic palette and the soft focus on the background elements direct the viewer's attention to the Archbishop's solemn countenance. This piece offers a glimpse into the visual culture of the mid-nineteenth century, where lithography functioned as a primary medium for disseminating news and commemorative imagery to a broad audience. The work remains a clear example of how portraiture was utilised to memorialise figures involved in the political upheavals of the era.