Alexis-François Girard (8 December 1787 - 17 January 1870Acte de décès No. 194 (vue 26/31). Archives en ligne de la Ville de Paris, état-civil du 5e arrondissement, registre des décès de 1870.) was a French engraver. He was also notable as the father of Jules Girard (1825-1902), Hellenist and member of the Institut de France.
Life According to his death registration he was born in Vincennes but no other evidence backs this. He also does not feature in the reconstituted birth records for Paris. According to Henri Beraldi, François was the son of Romain Girard, another engraver, Notice Girard (Romain) 1751- . Les graveurs du dix-huitième siècle by Roger Portalis and Henri Béraldi, 2nd volume, p. 318, Paris, Morgand et Fatout, 1881, . who was one of those who worked on a set of illustrations after Nicolas Lavreince for an edition of Liaisons dangereuses (1785). Trained by his father, François engraved in his workshop, notably a series of large head studies after famous paintings of his time, all signed "R. Girard et F. Girard" or "Girard et Girard fils". Father and son lived at 29 rue Barthélémy around 1795-1800, next door to the Palais de Justice, at one end of the Pont au Change. Catalogue général de la BNF.
He was admitted to the Beaux-Arts de Paris in Jean-Baptiste Regnault's class, but abandoned painting. Notice des archives de l'ENSBA.
In Paris on 11 July 1820 Girard married Louise Marthelot Archives de Paris (1784-1861) Acte de décès no. 772 (vue 18/19). Archives en ligne de la Ville de Paris, état-civil du 5e arrondissement, registre des décès de 1861.
Gustave Bertinot, Octave Tassaert, Élise Prétot (1831-1899), Jules Gabriel Levasseur and Girard's own wife all also trained under Girard.Jules Gabriel Levasseur (Biographical details) From 1835 to 1865 his prints were published by the maison Goupil. Exemple de correspondance entre Girard et Goupil , on traces-ecrites.com He was made a knight of the Legion of Honour on 14 August 1866. Promotions et nominations dans l'ordre de la Légion d'honneur. La Chronique des arts et de la curiosité, 20 août 1866, page 212
Selected works Young Tobias and Female Saint (1818), lithographs published by Bonnemaison, after Bralle (drawing) and Raphael, Montauban, musée Ingres.. Bellegarde (1819), engraving after Louis-Édouard Rioult (drawing) and Gérard, Pau, musée national du château de Pau.. The Soldier's Widow (1824), lithograph published by chez Chardon, after Ary Scheffer, Vendôme, musée de Vendôme.. Henri IV [portrait] (1827), stipple engraving after Rioult (drawing) and Gérard, Pau, musée national du château de Pau.. Study for the head of Cérès, after Prud'hon, engraving on paper, Gray, musée Baron-Martin.
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Bibliography (in French) .