Illustrated timeline
of the life of Léon Delachaux
“A master of intimacy triumphs. [...] These scenes, by the way in which the artist interprets them, take on a depth and intensity that is striking, and from which, a profound emotion emerges. The precision of the atmospheric effects and skillful effects of color make these precious little canvases more like miniature masterpieces, captivating our souls forever.”
François Thiébault-Sisson, “Le Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts”, in Le Temps, April 13, 1907
1850, July 30
Birth of Léon Émile Aldala near Villers-le-Lac (France), the son of Mélanie Henry (French, Catholic) and Louis-Auguste Delachaux (Swiss, Protestant).
1851, August 9
Marriage of his parents, both clockmakers.
1850–1855
Childhood in Switzerland, in Planchettes (canton of Neuchâtel) and then in Morat (canton of Fribourg). Louis-Auguste and Mélanie Delachaux also have four daughters. None of them survives.
1855
Destitute, his father commits suicide by throwing himself into the river Doubs.
1859–1868
Léon Delachaux and his mother live in Egypt.
45,72 x 35,56 cm
Private collection
All Rights Reserved
1872
Léon Delachaux departs alone for the United States aboard the transatlantic liner Ville-de-Paris, which arrives in New York on May 7, 1872.
1875, April 29
In Philadelphia, he marries Marie-Appoline Noël, known as Pauline, from a French family that immigrated to the United States in 1853.
1875, December 14
Birth of Clarence, Léon and Pauline Delachaux’s only son. Léon Delachaux is recorded as a watchcase engraver on his son’s birth certificate.
Print from an engraving on copperplate
11,8 x 8,5 cm
Department of Prints and Drawings, Library of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania
© Cabinet des Estampes, Bibliothèque de l'Académie roumaine
1875–1883
The Delachaux family resides at 1934 Locust Street in Philadelphia.
1876–1881
Léon Delachaux studies under Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. From 1876 onwards, Thomas Eakins, the master of American Realism, taught life drawing and painting, then anatomy. He introduces the use of photography in teaching in 1879 and systematizes it from 1882 onwards. Delachaux also meets his friend Carol Storck (1854–1926), a Romanian sculptor and fellow student at PAFA, whom he hosted for two years.
1879–1918
He exhibits in the United States, from the East to the West Coast.
45,7 x 38,7 cm
Private collection
© FDDLD - Stéphane Briolant
1882
The Delachaux’s wish to return to France. They reach an agreement with the dealer James S. Earle, making it possible to finance the family’s return in exchange for sending the works the artist will produce in France to Philadelphia.
1883
To facilitate the export of his works, Delachaux applies for and obtains his American citizenship. Back in France, the family settles in Levallois-Perret, close to Paris.
1884
With his wife and son, Delachaux moves to Grez-sur-Loing (Seine-et-Marne), where an international art colony has established itself. Here, the painter depicts rural life, a theme he pursues until the end of his career.
1884–1890
Delachaux exhibits at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français.
55 x 46 cm
Private collection
© FDDLD - Stéphane Briolant
1887
Delachaux wins an honorable mention at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français for his painting Le Crux Ave à Pâques (now in the Kunsthaus in Zurich, Switzerland).
1888
The Delachaux’s settle in Paris at 20 Rue Durantin, Montmartre.
1889
At the Universal Exhibition in Paris, Delachaux is awarded the bronze medal for the painting La Louée à Château-Landon (now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland).
123 x 165 cm
Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland
© 2016, Kunsthaus Zürich (Suisse)
1889–1900
Delachaux travels in central France: Puy-de-Dôme, Indre, Creuse, and Cher. In fragile health and prone to angina, he undergoes therapeutic treatment in Auvergne. According to family legend, on the way, a powerful attack forces him to stop in Saint-Amand-Montrond (Cher), where he is treated. He purchases a house there in 1900 and settles down, where he lives and works until his death.
1891–1914
Delachaux exhibits at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts every year, and becomes an associate member in 1895, a full member in 1901, then a member of the Commission for the Examination of Works (part of the jury process) in 1903, 1904, and 1909.
1902
His son Clarence establishes the firm Société Delachaux, which supplies equipment for overhead tramway power lines. The company grows quickly.
23,5 x 31 cm
Private collection
© FDDLD - Stéphane Briolant
1907
Léon Delachaux regains his French nationality.
1911, November 4
Léon Delachaux is appointed to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor.
1914, July 1
Clarence acquires a property in Grez-sur-Loing, which becomes the family’s home base.
1918
Léon Delachaux’s last exhibition. The artist participated in over two hundred exhibitions around the world during his career.
Léon Delachaux Endowment Fund Collection
© FDDLD
41,5 x 32,5 cm
Private collection
© FDDLD - Stéphane Briolant
1919, January 27
Léon Delachaux dies in Saint-Amand-Montrond. In his will, he requests a civil burial in Grez-sur-Loing, where his family lives, and appeals to his son: “I would like what remains of my work to be preserved intact and kept by you, my son, and your children and later, if deemed, to be bequeathed to a city in France to form the nucleus of a museum.”
1922, November 10
Death of Marie-Apolline Delachaux in Paris. She is buried next to her husband in the cemetery of Grez-sur-Loing.
1938
According to his father’s last wishes, Clarence Delachaux donates twelve oils on canvas and a few drawings to the future Saint-Vic Museum in Saint-Amand-Montrond.
Léon Delachaux Endowment Fund Collection
© FDDLD