Illustrations for François-René de Chateaubriand’s (1768–1848) novel Atala. Stippling Atala Liberates Chactas. Sheet 1

Love scenes in nature, in idyllic gardens and parks, and amidst wild nature have captivated artists and novelists since the Renaissance. These scenes were especially valued in the Romantic era.
François-René de Chateaubriand was one of the representatives of early French Romanticism. His most successful work, Atala (1801), shows an interest in exotica, passion, tragedy and the pure-hearted “noble savage”. The author was inspired by a trip to the boggy delta of the Mississippi River in America. He was enraptured by southern nature, but was disappointed by how badly the white people treated the natives. The main character of Chateaubriand’s story is a half European and half Indian who falls in love with Chactas, a member of the Natchez tribe. Caught between her love and the vow of chastity that she had made to her mother, Atala commits suicide.
In the first picture, we see the scene where Atala finds Chactas, who has been captured by a hostile tribe. They escape together and meet the good-hearted missionary, Father Aubry. The last picture depicts the sad end of the story: Chacatas is lamenting at the side of the dying Atala, while the monk tries to comfort him.

G. Duthé who created the work was a French engraver working in Paris.
Charles Abraham Chasselat, who made the drawings based on the engravings, was also a French painter and lithographer who worked in Paris.