Popular imagery depicting life in Western France in the 19th century

The words "popular imagery" refer to a production of prints which are engra vings on wood, generally in color, and most of the time sold by hawking. Bu t one can also add the labels of books, the headings of administrative or c ommercial letters, and playing cards as well. The subjects of the popular i mages are religious, comical or moralizing: most of the time they are used to edify the reader. The majority of the colored-print makers of the end of the 18th century are also "dominotiers" before becoming printer-merchant-e ngravers because they developed their art thanks to the vogue of fabrics an d wallpapers. The west of France becomes during the 19th century a place of choice for popular imagery. Beside the famous Letourmi company in Orleans, we must take into account the Portier Company in Le Mans and the Godard Co mpany in Alencon which have just been the subject of unpublished studies so far. In this article, after summing up what we know on the subject, we wil l propose to suggest a method of regional investigation, in the form of mon ographs of the various workshops we can locate in the great west, in order to replace the importance of theses provinces in the history of the popular imagery in France in the 19th century.