AUGUSTE GÉRARDIN

PORTRAIT OF A LADY, 1900-1910

AUGUSTE GÉRARDIN
MULHOUSE 1849 – 1933 PARIS

Pencil on paper, signed  “Souvenir amical A. Gérardin”
24 x 19 cm / 9.4 x 7.5 in (framed 37 x 30 cm / 14.6 х 11.8 in)

PROVENANCE
Private collection, France.

What moves an artist to offer such a drawing as a gift?

Inscribed “Souvenir amical”, this refined portrait suggests a gesture that is at once personal and intimate — far removed from the formal commissions that usually define an illustrator’s career.

Executed in the early 20th century by Auguste Gérardin, one of the most accomplished French illustrators of his time, the drawing seems to belong to a more private sphere of his production. Rather than a study or a preparatory work, it evokes the presence of a real individual — perhaps someone from the artist’s immediate circle — captured with a sensitivity that exceeds mere professional intent.

At the same time, Gérardin’s long experience in illustration subtly informs the image. The sitter appears not in contemporary fashion, but in a gently stylised attire recalling the romantic sensibility of an earlier age. This slight theatricality reveals the illustrator’s way of seeing — not simply recording reality, but filtering it through memory, culture, and imagination.

This refined handling of line and tone is entirely characteristic of Gérardin’s draughtsmanship, shaped by his activity as a prolific illustrator in the Parisian press and publishing world at the turn of the century.

Born in Mulhouse in 1849 and active in Paris, Gérardin contributed to numerous illustrated journals, including Le Monde illustré, where he developed a particular sensitivity for character and narrative. In 1893, he became a member of the Société du livre illustré and collaborated with publishers such as Mame and Édouard Pelletan.

At the end of the 19th century, he illustrated works by Paul Verlaine, François Villon, Heinrich Heine, Victor Hugo and Émile Zola. His compositions were often translated into wood engravings by Auguste Lepère and his workshop, situating Gérardin within the broader network of image production that defined the illustrated book of the period.

In 1908, he illustrated an edition of Avant l’amour by Marcelle Tinayre.

The attribution of this drawing has been confirmed with the kind assistance of Mr. Brian Keegan and Mr. Alexandre Savinoff.