Though unknown to most Americans, Henri-Charles Guérard was a member of the Parisian avant-garde in the 1870s and 1880s and a close associate of the painter Edouard Manet. Guérard was one of the most prolific French printmakers of the nineteenth century. In addition to hundreds of book illustrations and reproductive prints, he created nearly 500 original works, most of which remained unpublished and tucked away inside his studio for years after his death.