PC_Fr-Boutet01

PC_Fr-Boutet01

Early unused French postcard - Original suffragette-themed sketch by Henri Boutet (PC_FrBoutet01)

Henri Boutet

Henri Boutet (1851-1919) was a French engraver and illustrator. He was born in Sainte-Hermine (Vendée) in 1851.  In the 1890s he specialised in the production of etchings representing women in negligees, resulting in his being nicknamed the "little master of the corset" or the "painter of the midinette".  With his growing reputation, Boutet launched his own publishing house and sold his productions to periodicals such as Le Frou-frou, L'Assiette au beurre and Le Pêle-Mêle.  In 1902 he published "Les Modes Feminines du XIXe Siecle" which met with instant acclaim.  He died in Paris on 9 June 1919.