Lepère, Auguste Louis

1849 – 1918
French

Born in Paris in 1849, Auguste Lepère began studying print making at the age of 13 with an apprenticeship in the studio of the engraver Joseph Burn-Smeeton and began his career converting drawings into prints for several illustrated journals. His work soon caught the eye of Félix Bracquemond and together they created the magazine L’Estampe originale. He worked as a print maker his entire life exploring a variety of methods and inventing new ways to achieve his desired effect. His innovations included printing on colored paper and combining two or more techniques, such as wood block printing and etching, on the same page. While scenes of Paris and its denizens are his prime subject, Lepère also portrayed nature and landscapes with great success.