Henri Théophile Hildibrand

Henri Théophile Hildibrand (19 June 1824, Paris - 13 August 1897, Pacy-sur-Eure)[1] was a French wood engraver; primarily for the firms of Hetzel and Hachette.

Basque Peasant; from L'Espagne by Jean Charles Davillier
Miners in Belgium, adoring a statue of Santa Barbara; from L’illustrazione popolare

Life and work

He studied engraving at the "Atelier ABL"[2], founded in 1832 by Jean Best (1808-1879), Isidore Leloir (born c.1803) and the English engraver, John Andrew, to create vignettes for the Magasin pittoresque.

In the early part of his career, he was an associate of François Pannemaker. At that time, he became one of the best known engravers of the works of Gustave Doré and a master of colored engraving.

In 1845, he was one of a group of engravers that composed over 200 illustrations for "Mysteries of the Inquisition, and other secret societies of Spain" by "Victor De Féréal" (a pseudonym). Published by Boizard, it became a great success and a bit of a scandal.

He also worked with the publishing firm of Hetzel; notably on illustrations for the novels of Jules Verne. Together with Charles Laplante, Charles Barbant and, for a time, Fortuné Méaulle, he worked with Hachette on their Bibliothèque rose series for young readers.

Some of his works also appeared in periodicals, such as Le Tour du monde, where many of his engravings were inspired by photographs; notably those of Émile Gsell.

References
  1. Archives de l'Eure, acte de décès n°29, vue 230 / 475
  2. "Andrew-Best-Leloir", @ BnF

Further reading
  • Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs & graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays ; Vol. 2 ; Emmanuel Bénézit ; 1924 page 612.
  • Rémi Blachon, La Gravure sur bois au XIXe siècle, Paris, Les éditions de l'amateur, 2001. ISBN 978-2-85917-332-6

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