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Decorative Art by E. A. Seguy

Today we are featuring a portfolio found in Milwaukee Public Library’s Rare Book Room: French artist E. A. Séguy’s Insectes portfolio of pochoir prints, published by Duchartre and Van Buggenhoudt in 1929. Émile-Allain Séguy, whose name is often abbreviated E. A. Seguy was a French artist known for his ornamental patterns of plants and insects in Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. The portfolios of colored plates were created using the labor-intensive process of pochoir printing, where each layer of color is applied by painting gouache through a stencil. The results are stunning!

There is some confusion about the biographical details of the artist Émile-Allain Séguy because he is often confused with the well-known French entomologist Eugène Séguy who was active during the same period. There is an essay called “Insect Men” by Timothy Young that describes this case of mistaken identity. 

What I love about the plates of this portfolio is that there are both extremely realistic illustrations of insects, presented in a stylized, overlapping way, and plates that are very decorative, with imaginative designs and bold colors, inspired by the forms of insects. These ornamental designs were intended to be used for interior art, textiles, and fashion.

E. A. Seguy produced a number of decorative arts portfolios in the 1920s. If you ever have a chance see one in person, I highly recommend it because the vibrancy of the plates is even more dazzling than how they appear online! I made an appointment with our friends over at Milwaukee Public Library’s Art, Music & Recreation Department to look at several of his portfolios, and plan to feature more designs in the future. Stay tuned!

View more posts about decorative arts and pattern books. 

–Sarah, Special Collections Graduate Intern