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| Constantin Guys (1802–1892) | ||||||||||
| Constantin Ernest Adolphe Hyacinth Guys was a French draughtsman, watercolourist, and caricaturist, largely self-taught, and best known for his wash drawings of demimondaines and as a chronicler of daily life during the Second Empire. Born in Vlissingen to a naval commissary, he joined the fight in the Greek War of Independence at the age of eighteen, where he encountered Byron. He then enlisted as an officer in the French army and began drawing in the 1840s. Guys became an illustrator for the Illustrated London News, covering the Crimean War until 1856. Upon returning to Paris, he produced drawings marked by skill, charm, and grace, often witty in tone. His works captured the day and night life of his era, with particular attention to women's fashion, riding, soldiers, social gatherings, and café life—subjects that would later inspire artists such as Forain and Toulouse-Lautrec. His social circle included Daumier, Gavarini, Baudelaire, and Nadar. Avoiding fame, Guys left his drawings unsigned. He died penniless in Paris. | ||||||||||
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Art