Alfred Grévin | |
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| Born | (1827-01-28)28 January 1827 Épineuil, France |
| Died | 5 May 1892(1892-05-05) (aged 65) Saint-Mandé, France |
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Alfred Grévin (French pronunciation:[alfʁɛdɡʁevɛ̃]; 28 January 1827 – 5 May 1892) was a 19th-century caricaturist, best known during his lifetime for his caricature silhouettes of contemporary Parisian women. He was also a sculptor, cartoonist, and designed costumes and sets for popular theater.
He founded with journalistArthur Meyer theMusée Grévin, awaxwork museum.
Alfred Grevin was born in a house in the main street ofÉpineuil in 1827. He studied natural sciences and drawing at the College ofTonnerre.[1] His first job was as an apprenticedraughtsman forParis à Lyon à la Méditerranée railways.[2] In his free time, he would draw for fun.[3]
In 1853 he moved to Paris. He put his cartooning talents at the service of the newspaperLe Gaulois, then headed byArthur Meyer. He then went on to work forLe Journal amusant andLe Charivari. To supplement his meager salary as a cartoonist and illustrator, he worked as a theater costume designer, and wrote plays.
By 1867 he was able settle in a home inSaint-Mandé, at16bis rue de Berulle.[4]
In 1869 he foundedl'Almanach des Parisiennes withLouis Adrien Huart, and in 1875 Grévin designed the 673 costumes forJacques Offenbach'sopéra-féerieLe voyage dans la lune, and later forCharles Lecocq's opera comiqueThe Daughter of Madame Angot.[5]
In 1881, Meyer had the idea, along with Alfred Grévin, to represent the personalities that made the front page of the news section as waxmannequins, which allowed visitors – in an era before photography was used in the press – to put a face to the names in the news. This was the beginning of theMusée Grévin, which opened its doors on 5 June 1882 and swiftly became successful. Grévin metÉmile Zola on several occasions, whom he wanted to include a portrait of in his collections.
Grevin spent the final two years of his life paralyzed, and died of a sudden stroke of apoplexy in 1892 atSaint-Mandé.[6]
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