SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
The drawings of Caran d’Ache, the name under which Poiré worked, are characterised by a fluid line and an oscillation between caricature and documentary drawing. He arrived in Paris in 1877 to acquire French nationality and complete his military service. His first drawings appeared in La Chronique parisienne in 1880, and from 1883 he regularly contributed to the Chat Noir cabaret. He also developed the «Histoires sans légendes», entirely wordless sequences that achieved great success.
In 1894, he proposed to Le Figaro a project for a «drawn novel» of about 360 pages, which was not published during his lifetime; the rediscovered original plates for the project Maestro were acquired in 1998 by the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image. In 1898, he launched the journal Psst…! with Forain; it ran to 85 issues. That same year, Le Dîner en famille appeared in Le Figaro on 14 February. In 1902, he created an entire issue of L’Assiette au beurre devoted to the Légion d’honneur, in which he experimented with wood engraving. While continuing his collaboration with Le Figaro, he gradually turned to designing wooden toys. In 1907, Caran d’Ache was a member of the artistic committee for the Salon des humoristes organised by Le Rire. He died in 1909, aged 50.
This profile brings together identity references for Caran d'Ache and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
2 references are documented at Piguet. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Ink on paper
Caricatures de chiens,
encre sur papier
Catalogue period : 2013-10-02
Published result : 1400 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 500–800
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Ink on paper
Portrait du Tsar Nicolas II
encre sur papier
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
