Henri-Lucien Cheffer (30 December 1880,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– 3 May 1957) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

painter, engraver and illustrator. Cheffer was chiefly known for his postage stamp designs, the first of which he designed in 1911. He also designed bank notes for

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, the Netherlands and the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

Early life

Cheffer was born in 1880 in Paris. He studied at the School of Decorative Arts, Paris, and in the studio of

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...

Awards

He received the second prize for engraving in the

Grand Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in 1904 and 1906. At the annual exhibition ''Salon des Artistes Français'', he received an honourable mention in 1902, a medal in 1919 and a medal of honour in 1927.

Work

Paintings

Cheffer was a member of the

Société des Artistes Français The Société des Artistes Français (, meaning "Society of French Artists") is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the "Salon des artistes français" (not to be confused with the ...

, where he exhibited exclusively. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Cheffer produced many watercolors depicting scenes of battle and destruction.

Postage stamp designs

Cheffer was responsible for 384 stamp designs, 52 of which were for France. His first stamp design, in 1911, was for Iran. In 1940, Cheffer was invited by the French government to design a joint Anglo-French stamp. In 1955, he designed a set of stamps depicting Monaco's

Prince Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...

. Cheffer's series of French postage stamps, known as the ''Marianne de Cheffer'' series, was in circulation from 1967 to 1971.

Collections

US National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...

* Library of Congress, Washington * Wellcome Collection, London * Imperial War Museums, London * Louvre museum, Paris * Museum of Fine Arts Boston

References

1880 births 1957 deaths French currency designers French illustrators French printmakers Prix de Rome for engraving French stamp designers 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists Painters from Paris {{France-artist-stub