The French Revolution by Linda Le Kinff — Bicentennial Series (1989)
Linda Le Kinff — Bicentennial Series, 1989
The French Revolution in eight lithographs
In 1989, for the bicentennial of the French Revolution, Linda Le Kinff created a series of eight lithographs depicting the major events from 1789 to the Reign of Terror. Printed on the Machet workshop presses, on Arches paper, they were presented in the salons of the Paris City Hall during the celebrations organized by Jacques Chirac, then mayor of the capital.
Each copy is unique: the artist enhanced each lithograph by hand with watercolor, before signing it. Two copies of the same subject are never quite identical — this is what makes this series a collector's item and not a simple reproduction.
The eight episodes, in historical order
June 20, 1789
The Tennis Court Oath
The deputies of the Third Estate swear not to separate until they have given France a constitution. The founding act.
October 5 and 6, 1789
The Women's March on Versailles
Thousands of Parisian women march on Versailles to demand bread and bring the king back to Paris.
June 20 and 21, 1791
Varennes
The royal family tries to flee the country. Recognized and arrested in Varennes, they return to Paris under escort. Trust is broken.
April 25, 1792
Rouget de Lisle
In Strasbourg, in one night, an engineer captain composes the War Song for the Army of the Rhine. It would become La Marseillaise.
September 3, 1792
The Assassination of Madame de Lamballe
During the September massacres, the queen's friend is killed in La Force prison. One of the darkest episodes of the Revolution.
January 21, 1793
Louis XVI
Judged by the Convention, the king is guillotined in Place de la Révolution. The thousand-year-old monarchy ends.
July 13, 1793
Charlotte Corday and Marat
A young woman from Caen stabs the Friend of the People in his bathtub. She would be guillotined four days later.
The Terror, 1793–1794
The Tricoteuse at the guillotine
These common women who attended executions while knitting became one of the most disturbing symbols of the Terror.
250 € per copy · Signed certificate of authenticity included · Protected worldwide shipping
Why this series matters
Few living artists have had the opportunity to compose a complete series on the French Revolution for an official commemoration. This series belongs to a specific moment — the 1989 bicentennial, the Paris City Hall — and to a limited edition that will never be reprinted. Linda Le Kinff's recognizable style treats History with the same elegant line as her portraits of women.
The complete series forms a coherent whole: eight scenes, identical format, a chronology. It is equally suitable for displaying a single subject or an entire frieze — in a library, a study, a classroom, an institution.
What you receive
An original 1989 lithograph on Arches paper, hand-enhanced with watercolor and signed by Linda Le Kinff, accompanied by its certificate of authenticity signed by Peter Schaffer, the artist's son, official expert and legal representative — numbered and verifiable online at any time.
Because each copy is hand-enhanced, the colors of the piece you receive will differ slightly from the photograph. If you wish to choose, contact us: we will send you photographs of several available copies.