The Salon that opened at the Palais National in Paris at the end of 1850 represented French art at its mid-century zenith. There were few critics of the Salon whose reviews were more eagerly awaited than ThŽophile Gautier, acclaimed author of Mademoiselle de Maupin, major poet, and brilliant critic. Peter Scacco's English translation of the complete series of Gautier's original twenty-three articles from La Presse sheds important light on the art and artists of France as it entered the second half of the nineteenth century. Mr. Scacco's Introduction gives the reader useful historical context, and a valuable Appendix, listing all works by Salon artists covered by Gautier, accompanied by their Salon catalogue numbers, follows the text. With Notes and Index of Artists.