Background
His father was a locksmith, who was also known for his skill as a carver and worked for Louis Fiolet, a notable manufacturer of earthenware tobacco pipes.
His father was a locksmith, who was also known for his skill as a carver and worked for Louis Fiolet, a notable manufacturer of earthenware tobacco pipes.
École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts.
François began studying at the municipal school of design at an early age. In 1844, he entered the École des Beaux-arts and became a student of Léon Cogniet. Shortly after, he rebelled against the Academicism of the time, focusing more on designing and engraving.
His illustrations for Faust were especially notable and were praised by Baudelaire.
He helped design illustrations for Hugo"s Toilers of the Sea (engraved by Fortuné Méaulle) and a new edition of the The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He lost most of his clientele when he began to harshly criticize Napoleon III during the Franco-Prussian War, and sank into an oblivion from which he never fully recovered.
Despite this, a street in Saint-Omer has been named after him.