La dernière mort de Rocambole (1866)

André Gill prints bring back the wit of Paris's favourite caricaturist of the 1860s and 1870s. Gill drew the famous faces of his day with huge, instantly recognisable heads on tiny bodies, from Victor Hugo and Émile Zola to Sarah Bernhardt and Charles Darwin. Our collection of fine art prints includes his newspaper covers, his attack on the censors, Madame Anastasie, and his portraits of writers, actors and politicians.

About André Gill

André Gill was the name used by Louis-Alexandre Gosset de Guînes, born in Paris on 17 October 1840. He became the star cover artist of the weekly La Lune from 1865 to 1868 and of its successor L'Éclipse from 1868 to 1876. He was also a painter and songwriter.

His drawings ran into the censors again and again. La Lune was banned in December 1867 after two of his caricatures, and in 1874 he drew Madame Anastasie, an old woman with an owl and giant scissors, who became the standard image of French censorship.

Gill was part of Montmartre life, and his sign for a cabaret gave the Lapin Agile its name. In his last years his mind failed, and he died at the Charenton asylum in May 1885.

Style and Subjects

Gill is best known for the portrait-charge: a big, carefully drawn head that captures the sitter's face, perched on a small, comic body acting out a joke about their work or politics. Hugo rises like the sun over the sea, Zola peers through a magnifying glass, Darwin appears as a circus monkey.

His covers are bold and bright, printed in strong colour with clear outlines, and designed to catch the eye on a news-stand. Behind the fun lies a sharp political edge, especially against the censors of the Second Empire.

Famous Works

• Madame Anastasie (1874), Musée Carnavalet, Paris. Censorship as an old woman with an owl and giant scissors, from L'Éclipse.
• Portrait authentique de Rocambole (1867). A La Lune sheet from the season when a Rocambole caricature helped get the paper banned.
• Les lutteurs masqués (1867). Masked wrestlers on a black ground, from La Lune.
• Victor Hugo. Hugo rising like the sun over the sea, one of twelve Hugo sheets in the collection.
• M. Émile Zola. Zola with a magnifying glass, from Gill's run on the novelist.
• Sarah Bernhardt (1878). The great actress caught in a few bold lines.
• Darwin (1878). Charles Darwin as a circus monkey, a joke on the theory of evolution.

Decorating with Gill Prints

Gill's colourful covers make a witty gallery in a hallway, study or home office, and they suit a French bistro look in a kitchen or dining room. Group writers together for a library, or actors and singers for a music room or media room.

Madame Anastasie is a fun choice for a writer's desk or a newsroom. Use thin black or red frames to pick up the strong outlines and bright colours.

FAQ

Who was André Gill?

André Gill (1840–1885), born Louis-Alexandre Gosset de Guînes, was a French caricaturist, painter and songwriter, the star cover artist of La Lune and L'Éclipse.

What is a portrait-charge?

A caricature with a big, recognisable head on a small body, acting out a joke about the sitter. Gill was its best-known master.

What is Madame Anastasie?

Gill's 1874 image of censorship as an old woman with an owl and giant scissors, which became the standard French symbol for the censor.

Where can I see André Gill's work?

The Musée Carnavalet in Paris holds his oil sketch of the boulevard Montmartre, his portrait of Jules Vallès and many of his lithographs. The Musée de Montmartre covers his life in Montmartre.

Is the Lapin Agile named after André Gill?

Yes. In 1875 he painted a sign of a rabbit jumping out of a saucepan, and locals called the cabaret "Le Lapin à Gill", Gill's rabbit, which became Lapin Agile.

Related Artists

• Honoré Daumier: the great French political caricaturist before him
• Paul Gavarni: French caricaturist of Paris life
• Charles-Joseph Traviès de Villers: French caricaturist of the previous generation
• Thomas Nast: his American contemporary in political cartoons