Unknown French coloured litho of Uncle Tom

Joseph Félon (1818-1896).

L’oncle Tom et Eva.

Paris, Auguste Bry, n.d. [1853].

Handcoloured lithograph, with letterpress text. 40 x 28 cm.

A very rare and attractive large depiction of Uncle Tom, specifically showing the moment when Tom tries to write to his family but fails due to his illiteracy and Little Eva tries to help him. This lithograph was an original design by Joseph Félon, drawn on the stone by him and printed with a caption in French and English by Auguste Bry in Paris. The copies were sold by three dealers: in Paris at Lebrasseur and Victor Delarue and in London at Francis Fraie. However, only one of these copies can be traced at the moment: the one we offer here. We were unable to find another copy in any major collection, on the market or in auction records. We did retrieve a reference to this print in the 1853 edition of the annual Bibliographie de la France (no. 915), which provides us with a date of creation of the lithograph.
                Joseph Félon was a highly regarded Parisian artist who made paintings, sculptures and lithographs, which he consistently exhibited at the Salon from 1840 to 1896. In this Uncle Tom lithograph he has depicted Tom as a deeply emotional and religious person, though the scene is a clear and obvious example of racial stereotyping. Félon made this print to take advantage of the phenomenon that broke out when Harriet Beecher Stowe’s story reached France in 1852. Many artists did the same, but Félon’s version is certainly artistically one of the best contemporary depictions of Uncle Tom.
                The most popular depictions of Uncle Tom were those in which he was accompanied by the young white girl, Eva St. Clare. Representations of their companionship conveyed a message of racial bonding and celebrated the characters’ shared Christian faith. Though what undoubtedly grabbed the attention of audiences viewing was a very young white girl alone in the company of a mature black man.

               The 3 lines caption underneath, in both French and English, read:

O! Père Tom! quelles drôles de choses vous faites la! J’essaie d’ecrire à ma pauvre vieille femme, Miss Eva, et à mes petits enfants.

“O Uncle Tom! What funning things you are making there!” I’m trying to write to my poor old woman, Miss Eva, and my little chil’en.”

Condition: minor overall brown spotting and thumbing, otherwise in excellent condition with vibrant colouring.

Reference: Bibliographie de la France, ou journal general de l’imprimerie et de la librairie […], XLII, Paris, Pillet, 1853, p. 383, no. 915.