Jean Gabriel Scheffer (1979 - 1876)

Jean Gabriel Scheffer

Jean Gabriel Scheffer was a Swiss-born painter and lithographer based in Paris.

Scheffer painted portraits as well, but became better known as a genre painter and lithographer. By the early 1820s, Scheffer had firmly established himself on the Parisian art scene, and from 1822 his work was exhibited at the Paris Salon. He collaborated with the printer-publisher Chez Martinet, creating the popular albums Scenes of Young People (1825), What They Say and What They Think (1829), and Little Travelers (1830).

Scheffer's illustrations, with charm and in his characteristic wryly humorous style, offered a unique perspective on typical scenes and were eagerly purchased by the general public. Jean Gabriel Scheffer captured the modern mores, customs, and costumes of Parisian society in his works.