Guys ,Constantin – Portrait of a Woman. Original Lithograph published by Mourlot in 1939 for Verve Magazine

An original lithograph after a painting by Constantin Guys.

Published by Mourlot for Verve magazine in 1939.

Constantin Guys (born 1802) was a Dutch-born French Crimean War correspondent, water colour painter and illustrator for British and French newspapers.

At the age of 20, Constantin served in the cavalry, but only a little later toured in Greece with Lord Byron. His career as an artist didn’t start until he was about 40.

Baudelaire called him the painter of modern life, and wrote a long essay on Guys in which he extensively praised his works. He compared his work with that of Whistler. A particular feature of Guys’ style is the way in which he emphasizes detail. His subjects were Second French Empire life. Guys died in Paris in 1892, aged 90.