The current edition of the Image of France contains close to 7000 name variants referenced in the production of prints -- artists, draughtsmen, all kinds of printmakers, lithographic printers and éditeurs (publishers and dealers being indistinguishable in this data). This information is listed in the order of its frequency on another page at this web site.

What follows is a provisional sorting of many of these name variants. Its purpose is to alert researchers to the diverse forms, versions and orthography of names in the Image of France. Alongside each variant is noted the number of records in which the variant occurs. Itallicization indicates names associated only with editorial and/or distribution activity in this data.

Please remember, in using the datafile on the Internet, that its current search engine does not accept the diacritical accents and the punctuation "." which are recorded below; a name's unaccented spelling will retrieve all accented variants -- however, name forms containing "." cannot be searched as such. A special index of monograms, cyphers and surname abbreviations is now available for this purpose.

In many of the groups of names noted below, it is clear that more than one individual is referred to. In some cases, this is, in fact, explicit. Consequently, one must be cautious about inference from these groupings in regard to the activity of particular persons. The work of unrelated persons, for example, is referenced under such renowned names as David and Delacroix. Other groupings contain what appear to be altogether unrelated names ... which we believe are simply alternative spellings caused by any variety of considerations, e.g., Jazet and Jazel.

To resolve these and other questions arising below, it will be necessary, of course, to consult standard listings and catalogues, as well as directories of the period. This datafile, itself, contains information of distribution addresses which we hope eventually to incorporate in a future presentation of this kind. Moreover, it is quite possible -- indeed, probable -- that the Image of France contains information about artistic careers which are simply not otherwise documented.

GDM
Comments to: gmckee@binghamton.edu