Paul gavarni danseuses egyptiennes

French caricaturist (1804–1866)

Paul Gavarni was the pen name of Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier (13 January 1804 – 24 November 1866),^[1] a French illustrator, born in Paris.

Paul gavarni danseuses egyptiennes en

Early career

Gavarni's father, Sulpice Chevalier, was from a family line of coopers from Burgundy.^[1] Paul began work as a mechanical worker in a machine factory but he saw that to make any progress in his profession, he had to be able to draw; accordingly in his spare time in the evenings, he took classes in drawing.

He devoted his special attention to architectural and mechanical drawing and worked at land surveying and mapping which led to his obtaining a position with the Government Ordnance Department as a draughtsman.^[2] It wasn't until his early thirties that he turned his attention to his proper vocation as an artist.

Pen name

The story is told that he took his name from Gavarnie in Luz-Saint-Sauveur where he had taken a journey