Emma and Her Baby, Chelsea Embankment

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

For many of his earliest etchings Roussel used small copper plates and focused on Chelsea scenes, conveying a clear sense of place while often presenting affectionate portraits of the neighborhood’s youngest residents. In this example, a nursemaid with her charge stands in front of Chelsea Embankment’s characteristic railings, with Battersea factories across the Thames River. Roussel employed a shorthand drawing style, almost caricature, to portray his figures.

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