Design for a title-page for the <em>Aquafortistes</em>
  • Jules-Edmond Cuisinier
  • Alenya/South of France 1857 - 1917 Paris
  • Design for a title-page for the Aquafortistes
  • Pen and brush with black ink, partly grey wash, framing lines with pen and ink, on creme paper
  • 313 × 241 mm

Jules-Edmond Cuisinier began his artistic education at the renowned École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, among others in the class of Henri-Joseph Harpignies (1819-1916, see cat. nos. 42-44). Around 1870, he received his first commissions for illustrations in various magazines in Paris and even New York. Cuisinier nevertheless participated in an expedition from 1879-82 to New Caledonia, where he carried out ethnographic as well as ornithological studies. After his return, he resumed training at the Académie Julian for several years beginning in 1887, mainly in the atelier of William A. Bouguereau (18251905). After that period, Cuisinier made a name for himself primarily with his prints, which were published in all of the famous magazines in France. The Société des Aqua-Fortistes honoured him in 1896, 1898, 1901, and 1903 as well, when they commissioned him to design the cover page for their annual publication.

This association was founded in 1862 in Paris and had taken up the task of enhancing the reputation of artists’ prints. The group financed a studio space for the education of young graphic artists and issued an annual brochure that advertised the sale of original etchings, which one could purchase in the publisher’s elegant shops. Among the artists participating were such famous personalities as Corot, Jongkind, Manet, and Whistler.