Voltaire at the Bastille Composing the Henriade
1822
Here sits a surprisingly cheerful Voltaire, looking dapper in a red coat and wig despite being locked in a Bastille prison cell. He was imprisoned in 1717 for writing satirical poems about the French Regent, but instead of moping, he used the time to write his epic poem 'La Henriade'. The French verses scrawled on the stone wall behind him represent his literary output, proving that even in a dungeon, his pen was his greatest weapon.
- Technique
- Engraving