Andre Castaigne Calling Card- Phantom of the Opera

-- No Secret Reserve Price --

________________

An Inscribed Calling Card of French-American Artist André Castaigne

(Artist of the Landmark 1910 Book Phantom of the Opera)

Card is from circa 1900

Inscribed to Philadelphia Publisher Robert Barrie

Card is from a Scrapbook Assembled by Robert Barrie

Card Size:  51 x 88 mm (2 x 3.50 inches)

_____________________________________________

Above:  The Reverse Side of the Card

______________________________________

________________________________________

André Castaigne:

Jean Andre Castaigne (born 1861 - died 1929) was an important French artist who became a leading illustrator in the U.S.

Castaigne was a native of Angouleme, France, and studied under Gerome. He spent the first part of his career in France, exhibiting in the Paris Salon and painting historical paintings. In the 1880s he became a member of the Society of French Artists, and became a member of the Légion d'honneur / Legion of Honor in 1899.

During this time his best-known paintings included, "Alexander the Great at the Temple of Memphis," and a portrait Pope Leo XIII.

Castaigne then relocated to the U.S. where he became an important magazine and book illustrator. He worked out of Baltimore, Maryland, and New York City.

In the early 1900s, Castaigne created illustrations for the best American magazines, including Scribners Magazine, St. Nicholas magazine, McClures Magazine, The Century, The Twentieth Century Magazine, etc.

He also illusrtrated the 1900 book by Richard Whiteing Paris of Today published by the Century Company in New York. Plus he illustrated works by leading writers such as Rudyard Kipling.

Castaigne is often remembered as the original illustrator of the first Phantom of the Opera book.  In 1910 he created the oil paintings to illustrate the original French book titled Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (The Phantom of the Opera), a novel by Gaston Leroux.  The novel was based on events at the Paris Opera House, and may also have been inspired by Trilby by Ge du Maurier.  Today, this book is an icon of French literature.

The book was translated into English in 1911, and was the basis for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, starring Michael Crawford, Steve Barton, and Sarah Brightma.  This musical is the longest running Broadway show.

Card Inscribed by Castaigne to Philadephia Publisher Robert Barrie:

This calling card was in a scrapbook assembled by Philadelphia publisher Robert Barrie in the early 1900s.

This Robert Barrie was the son of publisher George Barrie, a Scottish-American immigrant who founded the Philadelphia publishing house Barrie and Sons. George Barrie was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Here in Philadelphia, George Barrie was first employed by the publisher J. B. Lippincott, before starting his own publishing company in 1873, with the assistance of his sons, this Robert Barrie and George Barrie Jr.

The Barrie publishing house was very successful, and was internationally know as a publisher of fine art works, prints, and books. The Barrie publisher received medals at all the leading exhibitions, including the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the 1889 expo in Paris, in 1893 at Chicago, and in 1900 at Paris.

Robert Barrie was actively involved in the Paris art scene, in the late 1800s, and turn of the century.

As described in a 1904 Who's Who in Pennsylvania: "Of all the Americans now in Paris, few have a better knowledge of the serious side of French life and a higher respect for French art and industry than Mr. Robert Barrie, junior member of the firm of George Barrie and Son publishers, of Philadelphia. Mr. Barrie has made numerous visits to Paris during the past 15 years, some of them extending over six months, and during this time his relations with French artists have been most cordial and extensive."

This Robert Barrie discussed the artist Castaigne in Barrie's 1917 autobiograph titled My Log.  The complete text of that book is readable online by searching Google Books.  

On page 114 of that book, Rober Barrie describes how this painter, Andre Castaigne, painted Barrie's head onto the figure of a soldier in one of Castaigne's paintings.

Condition:  Nice Condition.  The card is glued onto a piece of the scrapbook page from Robert Barrie's scrapbook.  Most of the card is glued down, except for part of the margins.  The card is bright and clean.

---- -- Propay

Free Priority Mailing.

I Will Mail to Any Country.  Free airmail.

Prompt Shipping--I Mail the Day After I Receive Payment.

Shipping by Post Office, Unless Other Shipping Requested.

Pennsylvania Buyers add 6 % Sales Tax, or Send Tax Number.

Offered by:  Lee Jay Stoltzfus - Your Family Heirlooms

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. U.S.A.

27 Lititz Run Road.   Lititz, PA 17543

Telephone: (717) 371-7320

Send e-mail to me here, if you have questions.

Satisfaction guaranteed, or you are welcome to return purchase.