Charles Melchior Descourtis

The Night, plate 1 from Paul et Virginie

1795
Etching and engraving printed in yellow, blue, red, and black inks on paper
37.5 × 41.2 cm (14.8 × 16.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Night falls as Paul and Virginie are returning from the plantation, and they stop, fatigued and hungry, with little hope of finding their way home. Suddenly, they hear the familiar barking of their dog Fidèle, and they see Domingue, one of the two enslaved people owned by their family, running anxiously toward them out of the woods. Domingue was sent to find the children by their concerned mothers, but on his way through the jungle he passed the plantation and learned of the fugitive woman’s dire fate.

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More by Charles Melchior Descourtis

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