By Olivia Mccabe
Born in Bordeaux, France, in 1892, Edy Legrand (Edouard-Léon-Louis Legrand) was an influential French illustrator and painter active in the early to mid-20th century. Legrand studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and the Art Academy in Munich before beginning his career with the Tolmer publishing house in Paris. His first children’s book, Macao & Cosmage, ou, L’expérience du bonheur (1919), was published in collaboration with the French review and is considered a milestone in illustrated children’s book history.
In 1932, Legrand represented France in the Art Institute of Chicago’s first World Exhibition of Engraved Works, where he received an honorable mention – the only French artist to do so. Following this success, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and North Africa, ultimately settling in Rabat, Morocco, for over 20 years. There he developed a vibrant, figurative style inspired by the endless movement of crowds and infinite colors found in costumes and decor. After WWII, Legrand moved to the U.S., working as an illustrator in New York and later devoting himself to painting. Legrand died in 1970.
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast (New York: Limited Editions Club, 1949) Tulane University Special Collections (A. Watson Chapman) PZ8.B383 Be