Abstract EN:

The illustration has been a triumphant success in the XIXth century. The woodcut, the lithography, the etching, having illustrated the publications of the first half of the XIXth century, aroused the admiration of the collector. On the contrary, the illustration reproduced industrially by photomechanical process was often the object of the contempt among the connoisseurs. Why such a disgrace ? Indeed, the traditional illustrated book benefits from the prestige of the objet d'art, because its illustration is nothing less than a real work of art. The drawing reproduced by the photomechanical process was considered on the contrary as industrial good, without soul, nor artistic values. However, should the illustration multiplied infinitely by the photomechanical process be considered according to the traditional scales of the aesthetic values ? Are these always suited to the era of the mechanical reproductibility ? The illustration reproduced by photomechanical process, who has exactly the same appearence as the traditional illustration, is nevertheless intrinsically different from the work of art. The photomechanical illustration crosses allégrement the borders drawn to classify the object of art. The illustrated books published by the Marpon and Flammarion between 1880 and 1890 give a good example of it. . .