Jacques Wely 1873-1910

After attempting a commercial career in China, he signed his first drawings in Paris in 1896 as “Made” and then met Edmond Vernier, who signed as “Dola.” Together, the duo produced illustrations under the name “Madola” for operetta booklets, initially created in their own lithographic studio. Between 1897 and 1904, under the sole pen name “Jacques Wély,” he executed a number of sheet music covers, including for the Parisian publisher Enoch.

Around the same period, he increasingly contributed caricatures to most of the satirical and light-hearted newspapers. He also pursued painting, submitting, for example, twelve canvases to the Salon des Humoristes in 1909. A member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, his gouaches depict humorous or tender couple scenes, portraits of women, and some still lifes, sometimes aligned with the post-Impressionist tradition.

In 1908, he opened a new studio in Montfort-l’Amaury, but, afflicted with tuberculosis, he died two years later. As an illustrator for publishing and press houses such as Rouff, Albin Michel, Jules Tallandier, and Pierre Lafitte, he became an essential caricaturist for their periodicals.