Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy
Illustration — Jean Geoffroy (date unknown) Henri-Jules-Jean Geoffroy, also known by the pseudonym Géo (1 March 1853, Marennes – 15 December 1924, Paris) was a French painter and illustrator, known primarily for his genre scenes with children. Some sources give his first names in reverse order.
Also recorded as Jean Jules Henri Geoffroy · Henry Jules Jean Geoffroy · Jean Geoffroy · Jean-Jules-Henri Geoffroy
Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy

Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark
- Full name
- Jean-Jules-Henry Geoffroy.
- Born
- 1853. · Marennes.
- Nationality
- France.
- Occupation
- painter, printmaker and watercolorist.
- Fields
- portrait.
- Movements
- Naturalism.
- Teachers
- Léon Bonnat, Eugène Levasseur and Louis Adan.
- Known for
- Visit day at the Hospital.
- Honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour.
- Languages
- French.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Jean Geoffroy (date unknown) Henri-Jules-Jean Geoffroy, also known by the pseudonym Géo (1 March 1853, Marennes – 15 December 1924, Paris) was a French painter and illustrator, known primarily for his genre scenes with children. Some sources give his first names in reverse order.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q3013864
In this article
Biography
Biography
Training under Léon Bonnat, Eugène Levasseur and Louis Adan is recorded. The recorded working language is French. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait. Places of work recorded in the authority are Paris. Residence is recorded at rue des Lilas. Works named in the authority record are Visit day at the Hospital. Work by Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy is recorded in the collections of Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, Maison de Victor Hugo, Musée d'Orsay, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris and Hermitage Museum. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Legion of Honour.
His father, Jean-Baptiste (1822–1895), was a tailor and costume designer. His mother, Rosalie, was the eldest daughter of an English painter named John Dickinson (1791–1830). They moved to Paris when he was only two. In 1871, he began his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts; originally with Léon Bonnat, then with Eugène Levasseur (1822–1887) and Adolphe Yvon. His first exhibition came in 1874, at the Salon, followed by the Salon des Artistes Français, of which he became a member in 1883. For many years, until 1886, he took additional lessons from Émile Bin. During these years, he had the patronage of the wood merchant, Laurent-Louis Borniche (1801–1883), who was also an avid art collector and creator of the Pavillon de l'Arsenal art museum. Geoffroy's career culminated with a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1900). In 1882, he received a major commission from the Ministry of National Education. In addition to paintings, he provided guidance on how images could be used in the classroom. He was named an Officer of Public Instruction two years later. In 1887, he was named a Chevalier in the Legion of Honor. Another commission for five murals was received in 1893, occasioning trips to Brittany and Algeria to gather material. He came to be a painter of children because, at the beginning of his career, he shared an apartment with two teachers, Louis and Julie Girard, above their private school. Years later, when they opened a boarding school, he took inspiration for his works there. Many document the social advancements made during the Third Republic. When Louis died in 1890, he became Julie's protector. Around 1876, he met Pierre-Jules Hetzel, who hired him to be an illustrator of books for young people. After 1880, he signed his illustrations with the name "Géo". He also became friends with Doctor Gaston Variot, who had worked with Louis Pasteur, and became an enthusiastic campaigner for Pasteurization. He died of an undisclosed illness in 1924 and willed his remaining collection to Julie Girard. The Girard family still maintains his studio.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy was recorded at birth as Jean-Jules-Henry Geoffroy. He also worked under the name Geo. The authorities additionally record the headings Jean Jules Henri Geoffroy, Henry Jules Jean Geoffroy, Jean Geoffroy, Jean-Jules-Henri Geoffroy and Henry-Jules-Jean Geoffroy. His recorded language was French.
Identity
Identity
A sick child in bed has his castor oil medicine poured for him, France. Recorded as having received Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1853
Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy was born in 1853 at Marennes.
1924
Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy died in 1924 at Paris.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
rue des Lilas.
Residences
Marennes.
Birth place
rue de la Chaise.
Death place
Selected paintings
• Illustration — At School • Illustration — Visiting day at the hospital • Illustration — He Who Broke the Glass Will Pay! • Illustration — It's Hard to Share • Illustration — The Order
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Acte de naissance, AD 17.
- 2.Les petits maîtres, Jean Geoffroy, une œuvre de généreuse humanité.
- 3.Article fr Lien par élément Q111585971 Du peintre… La Presse lien La Presse (France) Paris 90 3608 1924-12-22 2 lire en Gallica id=bpt6k601686c/f2 2420-4218 .
- 4.Triptyque de la Goutte de lait, comportant de gauche à droite, la pesée du bébé au dispensaire, la consultation par le docteur, et la distribution aux mamans de biberons stérilisés contenant du lait pasteurisé.
- 5."L'arrivée à l'école" de Geoffroy, nouvelle acquisition du musée La Piscine de Roubaix. Franceinfo. 2019-06-23.
- 6.La Tribune de l’Art, vendredi 14 mars 2014.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 5
- Emmanuel Bénézit. Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs. éditions Gründ. 6. 13440. 1999. 978-2-70003-016-7.
- Geoffroy, peintre de l'enfance, catalogue d'exposition, Musée national de l'Éducation, 1984.
- Gérald Schurr. Valeurs de demain. Les Petits Maîtres de la peinture (1820-1920). éditions de l'Amateur. Paris. 7. 1120. 1989. 978-2-85917-090-5.
- Henry Jules Jean Geoffroy, dit Géo 1853-1924. éditions Librairie des Musées. 2012. 978-2-35404-030-7.
- Dominique Lobstein. Jean Geoffroy, dit Géo. Musées de la ville de Saintes. 2015.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy received Knight of the Legion of Honour. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Recognition and collections
Work by Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy is
Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, Maison de Victor Hugo, Musée d'Orsay and Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Henri Gabriel IbelsEngraver
- Henri GirardetEngraver
- Henri GuérardEngraver
- Henri HarpigniesEngraver
- Henri Le RicheEngraver
- Henri Le SecqEngraver
- Henri LebasqueEngraver
- Henri MatisseEngraver
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