The artwork titled “Help! The Marquis Of Carabas Is Drowning!” is created by the artist Gustave Dore and belongs to the Romanticism art movement. It falls under the genre of illustration and is part of the series “Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals”.
The artwork portrays a dramatic and intense scene where a character, presumably the Marquis of Carabas, appears to be in distress in a river, with only his head visible above the water’s surface. The focal point of the art is a cat, seemingly anthropomorphized, standing on the bank with a distressed and pleading expression, extending its front paws upwards possibly in a gesture of calling for help. The cat is adorned in elaborate clothing, which includes a hat with a plume, a belt, and boots, emphasizing the fantastical and illustrative nature of the scene. Surrounding the characters is dense foliage that adds to the tension and urgency of the moment, while the detailed line work and use of shadows reflect Dore’s distinctive style typical of the Romanticism movement in illustration.
