Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist,

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfred Grévin (1827–1892) * Alf ...

, and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He is best known for his prolific output of

wood-engraving Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and ...

s, especially those illustrating classic books, including 241 illustrating the Bible. These achieved great international success, and he is the best-known artist in this printmaking technique, although his role was normally as the designer only; at the height of his career some 40 block-cutters were employed to cut his drawings onto the wooden printing blocks, usually also signing the image. In all he created some 10,000 illustrations, the most important of which were "duplicated in

electrotype Electrotyping (also galvanoplasty) is a chemical method for forming metal parts that exactly reproduce a model. The method was invented by Moritz von Jacobi in Russia in 1838, and was immediately adopted for applications in printing and several o ...

shells that were printed ... on

cylinder press A rotary printing press is a printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. Printing can be done on various substrates, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Substrates can be sheet feed or unwound on a continuo ...

es", allowing very large print runs as

steel engraving Steel engraving is a technique for printing illustrations based on steel instead of copper. It has been rarely used in artistic printmaking, although it was much used for reproductions in the 19th century. Steel engraving was introduced in 1792 by ...

s, "hypnotizing the widest public ever captured by a major illustrator", and being published simultaneously in many countries. The drawings given to the block-cutters were often surprisingly sketch-like and free.

Biography

Doré was born in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

on 6 January 1832. By age 5 he was a prodigy artist, creating drawings that were mature beyond his years. Seven years later, he began carving in stone. At the age of 15, Doré began his career working as a caricaturist for the French paper ''Le journal pour rire''. The illustrations of J. J. Grandville have been noted as an influence on his work.Rose, Cynthia. 2020.
J. J. Grandvill: A Matter of Line and Death. The Comics Journal.
' (accessed 19 July 2022) Wood-engraving was his primary method at this time. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, he made several

text comics Text comics or a text comic is a form of comics where the stories are told in Cartoon caption, captions below the images and without the use of speech balloons. It is the oldest form of comics and was especially dominant in European comics from t ...

, like ''Les Travaux d'Hercule'' (1847), ''Trois artistes incompris et mécontents'' (1851), ''Les Dés-agréments d'un voyage d'agrément'' (1851) and ''L'Histoire de la Sainte Russie'' (1854). Doré subsequently went on to win commissions to depict scenes from books by

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

, Rabelais, Balzac, Milton, and

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

. He also illustrated "Gargantua et Pantagruel" in 1854. In 1853 Doré was asked to illustrate the works of

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

. This commission was followed by additional work for British publishers, including a new illustrated

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. In 1856 he produced 12 folio-size illustrations of ''The Legend of

The Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. ...

'', which propagated longstanding antisemitic views of the time, for a short poem which

Pierre-Jean de Béranger Pierre-Jean de Béranger (19 August 178016 July 1857) was a prolific French poet and chansonnier ( songwriter), who enjoyed great popularity and influence in France during his lifetime, but faded into obscurity in the decades following his deat ...

had derived from a novel of

Eugène Sue Marie-Joseph "Eugène" Sue (; 26 January 18043 August 1857) was a French novelist. He was one of several authors who popularized the genre of the serial novel in France with his very popular and widely imitated ''The Mysteries of Paris'', which ...

of 1845.

In the 1860s he illustrated a French edition of

's ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'', and his depictions of the knight and his squire,

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza () is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, known as ''sanchismos'', ...

, became so famous that they influenced subsequent readers, artists, and stage and film directors' ideas of the physical "look" of the two characters. Doré also illustrated an oversized edition of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

's "

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myst ...

", an endeavor that earned him 30,000

franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

s from publisher

Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

in 1883. The government of France made him a

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

in 1861. Doré's illustrations for the Bible (1866) were a great success, and in 1867 Doré had a major exhibition of his work in London. This exhibition led to the foundation of the Doré Gallery in Bond Street, London. In 1869, Blanchard Jerrold, the son of

Douglas William Jerrold Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer. Biography Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...

, suggested that they work together to produce a comprehensive portrait of London. Jerrold had obtained the idea from ''The Microcosm of London'' produced by Rudolph Ackermann, William Pyne, and

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...

(published in three volumes from 1808 to 1810). Doré signed a five-year contract with the publishers Grant & Co that involved his staying in London for three months a year, and he received the vast sum of £10,000 a year for the project. Doré was celebrated for his paintings in his day, but his woodcuts and engravings, like those he did for Jerrold, are where he excelled as an artist with an individual vision. The completed book '' London: A Pilgrimage'', with 180 wood engravings, was published in 1872. It enjoyed commercial and popular success, but the work was disliked by some contemporary British critics, as it appeared to focus on the poverty that existed in parts of London. Doré was accused by ''

The Art Journal ''The Art Journal'' was the most important British 19th-century magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title ''Art Union Monthly Journal'' (or ''The Art Union''), the first issue of 7 ...

'' of "inventing rather than copying". The ''Westminster Review'' claimed that "Doré gives us sketches in which the commonest, the vulgarest external features are set down". But they impressed

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

, who painted a version of the ''Prisoners' Round'' in 1890, the year of his death. The book was a financial success, however, and Doré received commissions from other British publishers. Doré's later work included illustrations for new editions of

Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake ...

's ''

Rime of the Ancient Mariner ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' (originally ''The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere'') is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–1798 and published in 1798 in the first edition of ''Lyrical Ballad ...

'', Milton's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

'',

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

's '' Idylls of the King'', ''The Works of

Thomas Hood Thomas Hood (23 May 1799 – 3 May 1845) was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as " The Bridge of Sighs" and " The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for ''The London Magazine'', '' Athenaeum'', and ''Punch' ...

'', and ''

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...

''. Doré's work also appeared in the weekly newspaper ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...

''.

Death

Doré never married and, following the death of his father in 1849, he continued to live with his mother, illustrating books until his death in Paris on January 23, 1883, following a short illness. At the time of his death, he was working on illustrations for an edition of

Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare's plays are a canon of approximately 39 dramatic works written by English poet, playwright, and actor William Shakespeare. The exact number of plays—as well as their classifications as tragedy, history, comedy, or otherwise—is a ...

Works

Doré was a prolific artist; thus the following list of works is not complete and it does not include his paintings, sculptures, and many of his journal illustrations:

Reception and legacy

H.P. Lovecraft drew inspiration from Dore's ''Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' illustrations in his formative years.

Gallery

File:024.Jacob Wrestles with the Angel.jpg, '' Jacob wrestling with the angel'', 1855 File:Dore-I had done a hellish thing.jpg, ''Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' File:Dore ridinghood.jpg, ''

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brot ...

'' File:Paradiso Canto 31.jpg, The Empyrean, Dante's ''

'' File:Gustave dore cendrillon4.JPG, Doré illustrated several fairy tales: ''Cendrillon'' (or

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

). File:Dore woodcut Divine Comedy 01.jpg, A Doré

wood engraving Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and ...

illustration from ''The Divine Comedy'' File:Gustave Doré, A Backstreet in London, 1868, NGA 141211.jpg, Drawing, ''A Backstreet in London'', 1868,

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

File:Dore London.jpg, ''Over London by Rail'' Gustave Doré c 1870. From ''London: A Pilgrimage'' File:Gustave Doré - Ludgate Hill.png, ''Ludgate Hill - A block in the Street'', 1872. From ''London: A Pilgrimage'' File:Gustave dore crusades troubadours singing the glories of the crusades.jpg, ''Crusades troubadours singing the glories of the crusades'' File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore II.jpg, ''Don Quixote'' illustrated by Gustave Doré. File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore III.jpg, ''Don Quixote'' illustrated by Gustave Doré, another one of the 500 pieces Doré created for the work. File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore IV.jpg, Miguel de Cervantes's ''Don Quixote'' illustrated by Gustave Doré File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore V.jpg, Another example of ''Don Quixote'' (Don Quijote in Spanish) illustrated by Gustave Doré File:Gustave Dore illustration.jpg, Rabelais's ''Gargantua'' (English translation) File:Confusion of Tongues.png, Engraving ''The Confusion of Tongues'', 1865 File:Idylls of the King 3.jpg, Edyrn with His Lady and Dwarf Journey to Arthur's Court, in '' Idylls of the King'' by

Lord Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

, illustrated by Gustave Doré File:La Belle au Bois Dormant - third of six engravings by Gustave Doré.jpg, La Belle au Bois Dormant - third of six engravings by Gustave Doré File:Paris-dumas-monument02.jpg, The Dumas Monument in Paris File:USA-San Francisco-Le Poème de la Vigne by Gustave Doré-3.jpg, ''Le Poème de la Vigne'' or ''The Vintage Vase'', version in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

File:Доре Парка і божок кохання Ерот 1877.jpg, ''Cupid and Time'',

modello A modello (plural modelli), from Italian, is a preparatory study or model, usually at a smaller scale, for a work of art or architecture, especially one produced for the approval of the commissioning patron. The term gained currency in art circl ...

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

File:LeTemps fauchant les amours.jpg, A clock with ''Time defeating Loves'', cast 1879 File:Maenads in a Wood, by Gustave Dore, 1879, plaster - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - 20180922 150837.jpg, ''

Maenads In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...

in a Wood'', 1879, plaster modello,

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

File:Gustave Doré - Roland à Roncevaux.jpg, ''Roland à Roncevaux'', private collection, Paris File:Dore, Gustave; La Sainte Trinite.jpg, ''La Sainte Trinité'',

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is the public art gallery of the City and County of Swansea, in Wales, United Kingdom. The gallery is situated in Alexandra Road, near Swansea railway station, opposite the old Swansea Central Library. History The ...

File:Ecce Homo Gustave Doré.jpg, ''Ecce Homo'',

File:La folie.jpg, ''La folie'',

File:Les Oceanides Les Naiades de la mer.jpg, '' The Oceanids (The Naiads of the Sea)'', 1860s File:Gustave Doré - Paolo and Francesca da Rimini.jpg, ''Paolo and Francesca da Rimini'', 1863 File:Le Christ quittant le prétoire-Gustave Doré (3).jpg, ''Le Christ quittant le prétoire'' 1867–1872,

Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art The Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg (MAMCS, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) is an art museum in Strasbourg, France, which was founded in 1973 and opened in its own building in November 1998. One of the largest of its ...

File:Le Christ quittant le prétoire-Gustave Doré (2).jpg, ''Le Christ quittant le prétoire'' File:Paul Gustave Dore Andromeda.jpg, ''Andromeda'', 1869,

Chimei Museum The Chimei Museum () is a private museum established in 1992 by Shi Wen-long of Chi Mei Corporation in Rende District, Tainan, Taiwan. The museum's collection is divided into five categories: Fine arts (including painting, sculpture, decorative ...

, Tainan, Taiwan File:Gustave Doré-Soir en Alsace.jpg, ''Soir en Alsace'', 1869 File:Gustave Dore - La Siesta, Memory of Spain - Google Art Project.jpg, ''La Siesta, Memory of Spain'', c. 1868 File:Gustave Doré - Flower Sellers of London - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Flower Sellers of London'', c. 1875 File:Gustave Doré - Loch Lomond.jpg, ''

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

'', 1875 File:Gustave Doré - Scottish Highlands - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Landscape in Scotland'', ca. 1875,

Toledo Museum of Art The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects. With 45 galleries, it covers 280,000 square feet and is currently in th ...

File:Gustave Doré - Landscape in Scotland - Walters 372625.jpg, ''Landscape in Scotland'', ca. 1878,

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

File:Gustave Doré-Mont Sainte-Odile avec mur païen.jpg, ''Mont Sainte-Odile avec mur païen'', by 1883

References

External links

* * *
Gustave Doré Digital Collection of Illustrations
from the University at Buffalo Libraries * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dore, Gustave 1832 births 1883 deaths 19th-century engravers Artists from Strasbourg 19th-century French painters French Roman Catholics French male painters French illustrators French engravers French wood engravers French caricaturists French comics artists French children's book illustrators Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century illustrators of fairy tales Woodcut designers Painters from Alsace Catholic painters Catholic sculptors Catholic engravers 19th-century French male artists