VII. The Revolution of Book Illustration

 

VII. The Revolution of Book Illustration: Le Sage’s Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane by Gigoux and Le diable boiteux by Tony Johannot

It might sound surprising that a picaresque novel from the 18th century ended up revolutionising French both book illustration and production in 1835, but that is exactly what happened with the edition of Alain-René Le Sage’s Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane with almost 600 wood engravings. Its publication coincided with the attempted assassination of the "Citizen King" and the September laws, which banned all political caricatures. Dejected, the bourgeoisie consequently withdrew from politics into the private realm. No wonder that a protagonist like Gil Blas hit a nerve: he is a man of the people, simple and cunning, going through life laughing and always seeking to further his personal advantage.

From the outset, the publisher Paulin expected the edition to be a mainstream success: in place of costly etchings, he banked on small wood engravings that continuously interspersed the text. At first, he commissioned Jean François Gigoux to produce 100 vignettes, but when they started arriving, he realised that the illustrations would be the real attraction of the edition. Consequently, he ordered another 300, and eventually 200 more. In response to this large order, the artist Gigoux modified his style to a sketchy liveliness that corresponded to the constant vicissitudes of the adventurous plot: "The quicker his stroke, the more forceful the effect," Arthur Rümann noted, and nowhere can this effect be seen better than in Gigoux’s original sketchbook with 75 sketches and drawings [no. 405]. The numerous illustrations not only made the already popular text more easily digestible, but combined with the edition’s affordable price point and the serialised publication, it attracted a readership that had not previously been part of the book-buying class. The first edition had a print run of 30,000 copies, a tremendously high number at the time.

In parallel to these popular editions, Paulin also published luxury versions, which passed through the hands of the most renowned bibliophiles. In this display you can see Henri Beraldi's copy in the rare luxury publisher’s binding [no. 400], as well as one of the incredibly rare copies on China paper, from the collections Lebœuf de Montgermont, Bishop and Bonnasse [no. 402], as well as the only copy on China paper in the old binding, a fine red morocco, by Thompson, from the collections Ripault, Bishop, Rivière, Esmerian, and Tissot-Dupont [no. 403]. This case further includes a collection of 62 proofs of the wood engravings on China paper, probably from the estate of Aristide Marie, bound in half morocco by Devauchelle [no. 404], and the 1846 edition that includes some new vignettes by Gigoux and Ernest Meissonier, and also contains 30 proofs on China paper [no. 408].

The sensational success of Gil Blas quickly caught on. In 1840, Ernest Bourdin published another work by Le Sages, Le diable boiteux (The Devil upon Two Sticks), a mixture of picaresque novel, diablerie, and a satirical portrayal of society, with almost 150 vignettes by Tony Johannot. The copy in the luxury publisher’s binding by Boutigny contains numerous proofs of the wood engravings [no. 409], while two other copies presented here are printed on China paper: one in a contemporary brown morocco binding [no. 410], the second in a red morocco binding by Émile Mercier [no. 411]. On the charmingly illustrated affiche, Tony Johannot, who was then already the most popular romantic book illustrator of the time, confidently placed his name at the center of the image [no. 412].

 
Heribert Tenschert