Portrait de John Lemoine (1815-1892), publiciste, rédacteur en chef du "Journal des débats"

Jean Béraud's portrait of John Lemoine (1815–1892) as editor-in-chief of the Journal des Débats (1889) documents a central figure of French liberal journalism — the Journal des Débats was one of the great French newspapers of the nineteenth century, a voice of constitutionalist liberalism from the Restoration through the Third Republic. Lemoine had edited it through the politically turbulent decades from the Second Empire to the République opportuniste, maintaining its independent intellectual character. Béraud, known primarily for his Parisian street scenes, brought his observational acuity to this intellectual portrait. The work is in the Musée Carnavalet.

The portrait presents Lemoine with the sober gravity appropriate to a figure of intellectual authority. Béraud's handling is direct and psychologically attentive, giving the sitter a presence that conveys intellectual weight. The dark background and clear frontal lighting concentrate attention on the face.