Francisque Poulbot (6 February 1879, in Saint-Denis – 16 September 1946, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

(literally, "poster designer"), draughtsman and illustrator.

Biography

He was born in a family of teachers with parents who were lecturers. Francisque Poulbot, the oldest of seven children, was a gifted draughtsman who shied away from the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. Following 1900, his drawings started to appear in the press. He moved to

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

where, in February 1914, he married Léona Ondernard, before leaving for the Front; he was however sent back the following year. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, his patriotic posters and postcards led him to house arrest under the

German occupation of France during World War II The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

. Between 1920 and 1921, Poulbot became involved with the creation of the together with his friends

Adolphe Willette Adolphe Léon Willette (30 July 1857 – 4 February 1926) was a French Painting, painter, illustrator, caricaturist, and lithographer, as well as an architect of the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. Willette ran as an "antisemitism, anti-semitic" c ...

Jean-Louis Forain Jean-Louis Forain (; 23 October 1852 – 11 July 1931) was a French Impressionist painter and printmaker, working in media including oils, watercolour, pastel, etching and lithograph. Compared to many of his Impressionist colleagues, he was m ...

and Maurice Neumont. In 1923, he opened a dispensary on

Rue Lepic The Rue Lepic is a street in the former commune of Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, climbing the hill of Montmartre from the Boulevard de Clichy to the Place Jean-Baptiste-Clément. It is an ancient road resulting of the rectific ...

to help needy children of Montmartre. He died in Paris on 16 September 1946 and was buried in

Montmartre Cemetery The Cemetery of Montmartre () is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis in Paris, after the Père Lachaise Cemet ...

Descendants

Poulbot probably brought up his brother Paul's daughter Paulette, known as Zozo, who lost her mother before she was three years old. She is often described as his adopted daughter. Paulette married the artist Jean Cheval, the son of Adrien Cheval, one of Poulbot's friends. Among other collaborations there is a postcard series by Poulbot and Cheval.

"Poulbots"

The French

neologism In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...

refers to illustrations representing Parisian "":

street children Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids, or urchins; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policymakers ...

. A perfect example is an illustration of

Gavroche Gavroche () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. He is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. His name has become a synonym for an urchin or Street children, street child. Gavroche plays a short yet si ...

, the famous character from the novel ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

External links

* * *
Collection of postcards by Poulbot
*
23 December 1911 illustration by Poulbot in ''Hommes du jour - Réjane''
*
29 July 1911 illustration by Adolphe Willette entitled ''à Poulbot alité suite à la suite d'un accident'' ("To Poulbot bedridden after an accident")
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poulbot, Francisque 1879 births 1946 deaths People from Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis French draughtsmen French illustrators French poster artists Burials at Montmartre Cemetery People of Montmartre