Sold at Auction: Etienne Le Rallic

Etienne Le Rallic was one of the most prominent French realistic comic artists of the 1940s and 1950s. His first drawings were published in Le Rire in 1910. Le Rallic was fascinated by horses, which can be seen in much of his work. He fulfilled his military service with the cavalry, and did his first drawings of horses for army publications. Later on, he made humorous drawings for the magazines Le Pele-Mele, Le Sourire, La Chronique Amusant, Fantasio, La Baionette, Le Regiment, La Via Parisienne, Pages Folles, Bagatelle and Frou-Frou, sometimes using the pseudonym Smile.In 1926, he started working in a more realistic style for the publishing house Montsouris and illustrated novels for magazines such as Guignol, Lisette, and Pierrot. He was additionally present in Lili, Le Bon Point Amusant, L'Intrepide, La Semaine de Suzette and Coeurs Vaillants.In 1935, he collaborated with Marijac on 'Les Premieres Aventures de Flic et Piaff', a black and white book published by Gordinne. After this first attempt, Le Rallic devoted himself more and more to comics. Starting in 1938, he has contributed to a great variety of magazines, including Pierrot ('Le Reveil des Sioux', 'Joselito', Un Spahi'), Hurrah! ('Le Masque Rouge'), O Lo Le, Coq Hardi ('Ponchos Libertas', 'Capitaine Flamberge', 'Le Chevalier a l'Eglantine'), Pic et Nic, Cadet Journal, France-Soir Jeudi, Sabord and Bob et Bobette.From 1945 to 1949, he worked for Editions Gordinne, where his works were printed until 1964.