The Duchesse de Berry in mourning for her assassinated husband, cuts off her hair in the presence of her infant daughter. Lithograph by J.H. Marlet, 1820.

Above, a portrait of the Duchesse de Berry, with short hair and wearing the widow's veil as a result of the assassination of her husband, Charles-Ferdinand d'Artois, duc de Berry, on 13 February 1820, outside the opera house in Paris, resulting in his death the following day. Below, a scene surrounded by dark clouds: six women around a cradle containing her daughter the infant Louise Marie-Thérèse d'Artois (1819-1864). In the centre, the Duchesse de Berry in mourning cuts off her long hair in front of a mirror. A tiara lies on her dressing table, and another is seen in a jewel box on the floor

She is supposed to be saying "Hélas ! Voilà ces cheveux que ce pauvre Charles aimait tant!" (words pencilled on verso of impression catalogued)

The life of Louise Marie-Thérèse d'Artois, here shown as an infant in the cradle, in a strange way recapitulated the life of her mother: in 1845 Louise married the future Charles III Duke of Parma and Piacenza, who was assassinated in 1854: "On the evening of 26 March 1854 Charles was taking a walk in the streets of Parma. He was stabbed by an assailant, the anarchist Antonio Carra, who escaped. He was taken to the Palazzo di Riserva where he died the following evening." (Wikipedia)

[Paris (rue de Seine, n. 1)] : [chez Marlet.], [1820]

1 print : lithograph ; image 38.8 x 36.2 cm

S.A.R. Madame la Duchesse de Berri. Marlet

Bibliographie de la France, 6 mai 1820, no. 328 ("S. A. R. Madame la duchesse de Berry, portrait couronnant une composition où la duchesse est représentée se coupant les cheveux en présence de ses femmes, lith. A Paris, chez {Marlet}, rue de Seine, n. 1)

Bibliothèque nationale, Département des Estampes, Inventaire du fonds français, tome 15: Graveurs du XIXe siècle ... par Madeleine Barbin et Claude Bouret, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, 1985, p. 272, no. 12

Wellcome Collection 2168633i