Rodolphe Bresdin

Born in 1822, Bresdin was strongly influenced by the etchings of Rembrandt and other Dutch masters. He began his career as an engraver at the age of seventeen and his earliest engravings were all in very small format, some no larger than a postage stamp. He was known by the nickname "Chien-Caillou and was admired by his contemporaries, including Courbet, Baudelaire and Mallarme. Bresdin was ultimately considered one of the great visionaries of the 19th century.