c. 1790

Printed Textile: "Nina, or the Fool for Love"

The story depicted here is from Nicolas Dalayrac’s (1753–1809) musical comedy Nina, ou la folle par amour (Nina, or the Fool for Love) of 1786, which critiqued contemporary social inequalities. Nina loses her mind after her lover, Germeuil, dies in a duel, but her sanity is restored when he is found alive later in the story. The textile’s vignettes commemorate the musical’s pivotal scenes; in the center, Nina is visibly distressed when her father proposes she marry a wealthier suitor. The images are based on Jean-François Janinet’s engraving of a gouache (opaque watercolor) by Claude-Jean-Baptiste Hoin.