Our visual image of Victorian London is largely fixated on its sordidness—cramped streets, dark alleys, desolate slums, overcrowding, and illicit dens. Two people are responsible for creating in our heads such pictures of destitution and filth—one is Charles Dickens, whose works largely revolved around grinding poverty, and the other is French illustrator Gustave Doré. Doré (1832 – 1883) was a prolific engraver, artist, illustrator, and sculptor, who became very popular both in France and England by being an extremely successful illustrator for books and magazine.
He began his career early—at the age of fifteen—working for the French paper Le journal pour rire. Before he was twenty-five, his illustrations had adorned the books of several prominent writers of his time such as Cervantes, Rabelais, Balzac, Milton, Byron, and Dante. His illustrations of Cervantes's Don Quixote left such an indelible impression on the collective imagination of the public that it forever changed how subsequent artists, stage and film directors would represent the various characters in the book in their medium. Doré's illustrations for the English Bible in 1866 was such great success that it earned him a major exhibition of his work in London, eventually leading to the foundation of his very own Dore Gallery.
In 1869, Dore teamed up with journalist Blanchard Jerrold to produce a comprehensive portrait of London. For the next four years, Jerrold and Dore explored the dark underbelly of the largest, most fashionable, and most prosperous city in the world, visiting night refuges, staying in cheap lodging houses and making rounds of the opium den. The duo were often accompanied by plain-clothes policemen. They travelled up and down the river and attended fashionable events at Lambeth Palace, the boat race and the Derby.
Note: Doré produced so much work that I will feature his work in two tranches. This first series features works by Doré from 1847 to 1870. A later series will feature works from 1867 to 1883.
This is part 1 of a 12-part series on the earlier works of Gustave Doré:
1847 The Labours of Hercules
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France:
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| Title page |
c1848 Homeopathos and Homeopaths: published in Le Journal pour rire.
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France:
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Hand-coloured lithograph 35.7 x 27 .3 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA |
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| Hand-coloured lithograph |
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| Black and white version of the above |
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| Hand-coloured lithograph |
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| A different version in black and white |
1851 Disapprovals of a Pleasure Trip Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France:
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| Title page |
1851-53 Illustrated works of the bibliophile Jacob by Paul Lacroix:
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| La chambre des poisons, histoire du temps de Louis XIV, 1770 |
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| La chambre des poisons, histoire du temps de Louis XIV, 1770 |
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| La folle d'Orléans, histoire du temps de Louis XIV, 1693 |
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| La folle d'Orléans, histoire du temps de Louis XIV, 1693 |
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| La folle d'Orléans, histoire du temps de Louis XIV, 1693 |
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| La folle d'Orléans, histoire du temps de Louis XIV, 1693 |
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| Le diable, 1628 |
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| Le ghetto, ou le Quartier des Juifs, 1760 |
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| Le ghetto, ou le Quartier des Juifs, 1760 |
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| Le ghetto, ou le Quartier des Juifs, 1760 |
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| Le ghetto, ou le Quartier des Juifs, 1760 |
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| Le ghetto, ou le Quartier des Juifs, 1760 |
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| Le singe ou la famille de l'athée, 1665 |
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| Le singe ou la famille de l'athée, 1665 |
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| Le singe ou la famille de l'athée, 1665 |
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| Les quatre termes |
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| Une bonne fortune de Racine, histoire du temps de Louis XIV |
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| Une bonne fortune de Racine, histoire du temps de Louis XIV |
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| Une nuit dans les bois, 1809 |
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| Vertu et tempérament, histoire du temps de la Restauration, 1818-1820-1832 |
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| Vertu et tempérament, histoire du temps de la Restauration, 1818-1820-1832 |
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| Vertu et tempérament, histoire du temps de la Restauration, 1818-1820-1832 |
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| Vertu et tempérament, histoire du temps de la Restauration, 1818-1820-1832 |
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| Vertu et tempérament, histoire du temps de la Restauration, 1818-1820-1832 |
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| Vertu et tempérament, histoire du temps de la Restauration, 1818-1820-1832 |
Series from 1852:.jpg) |
| Nos coquins de petits enfants!….(ce que diraient aujourd'hui nos ancétres.) |
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| 1, 2 et 3e Siecles - Le culte Druidique_Sacrifice humain. |
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| 5e et 6e Siecles - Premiers temps de l'sre Chrétienne, mysticism et maigreur. |
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| 12e Siecle - Episode de Chevalerie errante. |
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| 13e Siecle - La Question. |
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| 14e Siecle - Le Jugement de Dieu. |
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| 15e Siecle - Régime féodal_Le droit du Seigneur. |
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| 1450. Pour une belle - Le Tournoi. |
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| 16e Siecle - Les Châtelains. |
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| La Gigue. - Bal sous le règne de Henri III. |
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| Règne de Henri IV - La Compagnie du Guet. |
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| 17e Siecle. Règne de Louis XIII - Jour de la promulgation du décret de Richelieu contre le duel. |
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| Combat de Chevau - légers sous Louis XIV. |
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| 1695. Grand siecle - Audition d'une tragédie de Racine a la Cour de Versailles. |
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| 18e Siecle - Une pastorale sous Louis XV |
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| 18e Siecle - Les coiffures édifices sous Louis XVI. |
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| 18e Siecle - Modes du Directoire_Les incroyables. |
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| 1810 - Corrine ou le charme de la voix. |
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| 1840 - Régne de la grande Chaumiére, de Mogador et de Pomaré. |
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| 1830 - ou Romantisme, bon ton et promenade sur le lac. |
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