Portrait of Jules Dalou

The left-wing sculptor Jules Dalou sat for this portrait while he was in exile in London for activities related to the Paris Commune rebellion of 1871. Until an amnesty was declared in 1879, he stayed in London, gaining critical standing with commissions he obtained for small-scale sculptures, portraits, and even a memorial to Queen Victoria’s dead grandchildren. Alphonse Legros was also in London during this time, having settled there permanently in 1863 with the encouragement of his friend James Whistler. Legros and Whistler shared a passion for the etching medium, whose flexibility ideally suited their expressive purposes. However, Legros also helped to revive the art of casting medals, and his portrait medallions of famous Victorians demonstrate a sculptural interest overlapping with that of Dalou.