Gustave Doré - part 7

c1877 Gustave Doré
woodburytype carte-de-visite
© National Portrait Gallery, London

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 7 of a 12-part series on the earlier works of Gustave Doré:

c1862 Illustration for Charles Perrault's 'Bluebeard'
(This illustration not published)
pencil, pen and Indian Ink, brush and grey wash and white on panel 24 x 19.5 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

c1863 Don Quixote and Sancho Panza entertained by Basil and Quiteria
oil on canvas 92.1 x 73 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

1865 Alpine Scene
oil on canvas 195.5 x 130 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL

1862 Histoire aussi intéressante qu'invraisemblable de l'intrépide Capitaine Castagnette. (Interesting and improbable story of the intrepid Captain Castagnette):

Title Page

C'est là que le pauvre Castaguette eut les deux jambes emportéespar le boulet qui tua Muiron.

d'être sauvé, et encore faudrait-il vous faire une opération qui n'a jamais été faite et qui ferait reculer les plus intrépides.

Chapter heading - Chapter VIII

Untitled vignette

Un mois après, Barnabe épousait celle qu'il aimait.

Castagnette à Wagram.

Une dizaine de mutilés formèrent une triste arrière-garde.

Le cosaque tordit tant soit peu le cou à notre héros.

Untitled vignette.

Untitled.

Untitled.

Il s'arrêta devant un rhinocéros.

L'animal fit un bond qui désarçonna Wellington.

La croix seule était restée intacte.

1862 Les contes de Perrault. (The tales of Perrault):

Title Page.

Frontispiece.

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
(Little Red Riding Hood)

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
(Little Red Riding Hood)

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
(Little Red Riding Hood)

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
(Little Red Riding Hood)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

Le Petit Poucet
(Tom Thumb)

La Belle au bois dormant
(Sleeping Beauty)

La Belle au bois dormant
(Sleeping Beauty)

La Belle au bois dormant
(Sleeping Beauty)

La Belle au bois dormant
(Sleeping Beauty)

La Belle au bois dormant
(Sleeping Beauty)

La Belle au bois dormant
(Sleeping Beauty)

Cendrillon
(Cinderella)

Cendrillon
(Cinderella)

Cendrillon
(Cinderella)

Le Maitre Chat ou Le Chat Botté
(Puss in Boots)

Le Maitre Chat ou Le Chat Botté
(Puss in Boots)

Le Maitre Chat ou Le Chat Botté
(Puss in Boots)

Le Maitre Chat ou Le Chat Botté
(Puss in Boots)

Riquet à la houppe
(Riquet with the Tuft)

Peau-d'Ane
(Donkey Skin)

Peau-d'Ane
(Donkey Skin)

Peau-d'Ane
(Donkey Skin)

Peau-d'Ane
(Donkey Skin)

Peau-d'Ane
(Donkey Skin)

Peau-d'Ane
(Donkey Skin)

Les Fées
(The Fairies)

Les Fées
(The Fairies)

La Barbe-Bleue
(Bluebeard)

La Barbe-Bleue
(Bluebeard)

La Barbe-Bleue
(Bluebeard)

La Barbe-Bleue
(Bluebeard)