Paul GAVARNI (Paris, 1804 - 1866) Portrait of François-Victor Hugo (1828-1873), circa 1840 Oil on canvas (Original canvas) Dedicated and signed 'à mon ami .V. Hugo. / Gavarni' lower left Canvas from the Binant house, rue de Cléry Annotated 'portrait de Mr V Hugo poète' in ink on the stretcher verso No frame Portrait of François-Victor Hugo (1828-1873), oil on canvas, signed, by P. Gavarni 14.37 x 11.22 in. 36.5 x 28.5 cm Provenance: Private collection, Paris Bibliography: Louis Barthou, "Les anglais chez eux. Victor Hugo et l'Angleterre", Conferencia. Journal de l'Université des annales, 20th year, no. 2, 1 January 1926, p. 70 repr. (as Portrait de Victor Hugo) Always considered to be the portrait of Victor Hugo (1802-1885), painted in 1827 when he wrote the play Cromwell, this painting should be seen as the portrait of his favourite son, François-Victor, painted around 1840. Indeed, the Binant label on the reverse of the painting means that we cannot conceive of it being painted before 1835. By comparing our painting with the portrait of François-Victor (fig.1), painted by Charles-Emile-Callande de Champmartin (1797-1883) around 1834, the dating of our work, a few years later, and the identification of the sitter with Victor Hugo's youngest son, constitute the only reasonable approach. Paul GAVARNI (Paris, 1804 - 1866) 36.5 x 28.5 cm Always considered to be the portrait of Victor Hugo (1802-1885), painted in 1827 when he wrote the play Cromwell, this painting should be seen as the portrait of his favourite son, François-Victor, painted around 1840. Indeed, the Binant label on the reverse of the painting means that we cannot conceive of it being painted before 1835. By comparing our painting with the portrait of François-Victor (fig.1), painted by Charles-Emile-Callande de Champmartin (1797-1883) around 1834, the dating of our work, a few years later, and the identification of the sitter with Victor Hugo's youngest son, constitute the only reasonable approach.