Satan

Satan — Paul Gavarni. c.1848–62.

Medium: lithograph on chine collé. Dimensions: Sheet: 44.6 x 31.1 cm (17 9/16 x 12 1/4 in.); Image: 20.3 x 18 cm (8 x 7 1/16 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

As the illustrated press proliferated in France during the 1800s, the caricatures published within such newspapers and magazines were sometimes censored. Paul Gavarni was one of numerous artists at this time who used imagery of laundresses as a means of social critique. Here, a young woman’s blouse falls from her shoulder, suggesting her loose morals. She pauses from ironing to listen as a procuress—a woman who lures girls into sex work—approaches her. The print’s title alludes to the woman’s motives and the precariousness of virtue. Gavarni was among Edgar Degas’s favorite artists, and Degas built a substantial collection of the earlier artist’s prints.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.