Sketches of Emile Zola and Alfred Dreyfus’ trials open a window to a scandalous past
Alfred Dreyfus at the trial on August 12, 1899 ©mahJ. Courtesy of The Museum of Art and History of Judaism, ©mahJ
By PJ Grisar February 19, 2021
History fated Emile Zola and Alfred Dreyfus to forever be footnotes in each other’s stories.
Dreyfus, a military officer wrongly convicted of treason, sparked an antisemitism scandal that split French society into factions. Zola, the celebrated writer who penned the famed pro-Dreyfus open letter “J’Accuse,” would face legal trouble of his own for doing so. Now, dramatic courtroom sketches of their trials have been acquired by the Museum of Art and History of Judaism in Paris.
A Maurice Feuillet sketch of Madame Lucy Dreyfus Courtesy of Museum of Art & History of Judaism, ©mahJ
The Museum (known as “the mahJ”) purchased the over 200 sketches, by journalist Maurice Feuillet, for $60,000. They show a stoic Dreyfus in his 1899 appeal, hat in hand, and Zola, indignantly crossing his legs at his 1898 libel trial. The images reveal how two men of vastly different demeanors helped shape history — the first by facing the Army’s miscarriage of justice, the second by having the bravery to name it as such. Unlike many other sketches from the time, the Museum noted, Feuillet’s work is not marred by caricature.
Emile Zola at his 1898 libel trial for writing “J’Accuse,” a condemnation of the French Army for pursuing Dreyfus Courtesy of The Museum of Art & History of Judaism, ©mahJ
Alfred Dreyfus at his trial on August 12, 1899. Courtesy of The Museum of Art & History of Judaism, ©mahJ
The Dreyfus Affair’s momentous import still resonates. It was a partial impetus for Theodor Herzl’s Zionist vision and a prescient moment of France’s anti-Jewish attitudes some four decades before the Vichy regime. Numerous films have been made of the scandal, the most recent being “An Officer and a Spy” by convicted rapist Roman Polanski.
Critics lauded the film for its period detail and condemned Polanski’s equivalence of his plight and that of Dreyfus. For those who don’t want to support that work but are interested in the case, the courtroom images are evocative and true to life.
PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
