Adolphe Willette (1857-1926)

Adolphe Willette, painter, illustrator, poster artist, and cartoonist died at his home in Montmartre on 4 February 1926. He was born 31 July 1857. He was a pupil of the Beaux Arts under Cabanel and exhibited what the art students call a “grand machine,” a ‘Temptation of St. Anthony’ at the 1881 Salon. He began drawing Pierrots and Parisiennes for the Courier Francais in 1886. His racy cartoons sometimes transgressed the bounds of good taste and he was prosecuted early in his career by the self-appointed champion of public morality, Senator Berenger, commonly known as “Père La Pudeur.” I posted an early article “The Art of Willette” HERE.

*Letter and photo courtesy Don Kurtz

Adolf Willette

The Art of Willette, from The Bookman (U. S.) March 1910-Aug 1911. Color illustration from Eduard Fuchs Die Frau In Der Karikatur ; Albert Langen 1907.

Caption: The Indecisive Penitent "The Church of the Sacred Heart was created by men's hands, but this came from the hand of God!"

French cartoon by Adolf Willette, 1903.