Rodolphe Töpffer ( ; ; 31 January 1799 – 8 June 1846) was a Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist. He is best known for his illustrated books (''littérature en estampes'', "
graphic literature"), which are possibly the earliest
European comics. He is known as the father of
comic strips
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
and has been credited as the "first
comics artist in history."
Paris-educated, Töpffer worked as a schoolteacher at a boarding school, where he entertained students with his caricatures. In 1837, he published (published in the United States in 1842 as ''The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck''). Each page of the book had one to six captioned cartoon panels, much like modern comics. Töpffer published several more of these books, and wrote theoretical essays on the form.
Biography
Töpffer was born on 12
pluviôse
Pluviôse (; also ''Pluviose'') was the fifth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European langua ...
of the seventh year of the
French Republican calendar at ten hours after noon (« dix heures après midi »), that is on 31 January 1799, in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Léman,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. His father
Wolfgang-Adam Töpffer was a painter and occasional caricaturist. His grandfather, Georg-Christoph, a master tailor, had come from
Franconia and held a sock factory in Geneva. Töpffer was educated in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
from 1819 to 1820, then returned to Geneva and became a school teacher. By 1823, he established his own
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
for boys. In 1832, he was appointed Professor of Literature at the
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...
.
Relatively successful in his profession, Töpffer gained fame from activities he pursued in his spare time. He painted local landscapes in a style considered influenced by contemporary
Romanticism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
. He wrote short stories and entertained his students by drawing caricatures. He collected these caricatures in books; the first of them, (''The Story of Mr. Wooden Head''), was completed by 1827 but not published until 1837. It was 30 pages, each containing one to six captioned panels. It was translated and republished in the United States in 1842 as ''The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck''. The stories were reproduced by ''autography'', a variation of
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...
that allowed him to draw on specially prepared paper with a pen. The process allowed for a loose line, and was quicker and freer than the more common engraving process.
Publications

The comedic story was not originally intended for publication, but Töpffer continued to create others in his spare time to entertain his acquaintances. Notable among them was
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
who in 1831 persuaded Töpffer to publish his stories. Seven of them were eventually published in
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
form across Europe, but Goethe would not live to see them.
*''Histoire de Mr. Jabot'' – created 1831, first published 1833. It features the adventures of a
middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
dandy who attempts to enter the contemporary
upper class
Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...
.
*''Monsieur Crépin'' – first published in 1837. It features the adventures of a father who employs a series of
tutors for his children and falls prey to their
eccentricities.
*''
Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois'' – created 1827, first published 1837. The above-mentioned story.
*''Monsieur Pencil'' – created 1831, first published 1840. An escalating series of events beginning with an artist losing his sketch to the blowing wind and almost resulting in a global war.
*''Histoire d'Albert'' – first published in 1845. The adventures of an inexperienced young man in search of a career. After many attempts he ends up as a
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
in support of
radical ideas. The panels show the erection of barricades and crowds singing La Marseillaise.
[Mark Traugott, ''The Insurgent Barricade'', University of California Press, 2010, .]
*''Histoire de Monsieur Cryptogame'' – first published in 1845. The story of a
lepidopterist who goes to great lengths to replace his current lover with a more suitable one.
*''Le Docteur Festus'' (or ''Voyages et aventures du Docteur Festus'') – created 1831, first published 1846. A scientist wanders the world, offering his assistance. He is blissfully unaware that disaster marks his path.
All seven are considered
satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
views of 19th century society and proved popular at the time. In 1842, Töpffer published ''Essais d'autographie''.
On 14 September 1842, the ''Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois'' was first introduced to a United States audience as ''The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck''. It was published in
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
form as a supplement to that day's edition of ''
Brother Jonathan'', a
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
edited by author
John Neal
John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...
. It has come to be considered the first American comic book and, according to several Robert Beerbohm articles published in ''
Comic Art'' and the ''
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
''The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (or ''Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'') is an annually published comic book price guide widely considered the primary authority on the subject of American comic book grading and pricing in t ...
'', the inspiration for an entire U.S. genre of nineteenth-century
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
.
The
University Press of Mississippi
The University Press of Mississippi (UPM), founded in 1970, is a university press that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi (i.e., Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Sta ...
published an English translation of his full-length stories as well as previously unpublished works in 2007.
Töpffer is considered alternatively the father or at least an important precursor to the modern art form of
comics
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
. He is also considered to be an influence on younger comics artists such as
Wilhelm Busch
Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch (14 April 1832 – 9 January 1908) was a German humorist, poet, illustrator, and painter. He published wildly innovative illustrated tales that remain influential to this day.
Busch drew on the tropes of f ...
, creator of ''
Max and Moritz
''Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks'' (original: ''Max und Moritz – Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen'') is a German language illustrated story in verse. It was written and illustrated by Wilhelm Busch and published in 186 ...
''.
Child art
Töpffer wrote two chapters on child art and child creativity in his book (1848), which was published after his death. He wrote that children often displayed greater creativity than trained artists, whose creativity was often overshadowed by their technical skill.
See also
*
Picture story
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
Rodolphe Töpffer in the
Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' (Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse; DHS) is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland. It aims to present the history of Switzerland in the form of an encyclopaedia, published both on paper a ...
.
*An online version of his first illustrated story
''Les Amours de Monsieur Vieux-Bois'' in manuscript form
Pictures and texts of ''Voyages en zigzag, ou excursions d'un pensionnat en vacances dans les cantons suisses et sur le revers italien des Alpes'' by Rodolphe Töpffer can be found in the database VIATIMAGES
*The story
''Histoire d'Albert'' as PDF-file
Published version of the above storyThe complete comics of Töpffer and first English translation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Topffer, Rodolphe
1799 births
1846 deaths
19th-century Swiss male writers
19th-century Swiss male artists
19th-century Swiss novelists
19th-century Swiss painters
Artists from Geneva
Swiss humorists
Swiss comics artists
Swiss comics writers
Swiss male novelists
Swiss male painters
Swiss people of German descent
Swiss satirists
Swiss writers in French
Writers from Geneva