Le Chauffeur
Lithography on paper
“Le Chauffeur” is a caricature of a driver with expressive eyes, a moustache that spills over into a fur coat, a blue cap with an insignia and brown leather gloves. He is also wearing a pair of goggles and all in all his attire suggests he is racing at high speed in the open air. The artist is Paul Baronie.
Edmond-Honoré ‘Ed’ Sagot (1857 – 1917) was the first dealer in modern art in Paris to specialise in art prints and posters. He opened an artistic bookshop in 1881 and by 1884 he started selling art prints. Sagot sold drawings, etchings and lithographs and in 1891 he published the first ever illustrated modern and contemporary poster catalogue. He was one of the pioneers and Parisian trendsetters of this new art form and ‘poster mania’ becomes a reality under his tutelage.
The Sagot-Le Garrec Galerie still exists to this day and is one of the oldest art galleries in Paris.
Published by Ed Sagot, Parijs