Adrien Barrère aka Adrien Albert Athanase Baneux (1874-1931)

Adrien Albert Athanase Baneux (1874-1931) was a was a French medical caricaturist, poster artist and painter in Paris during the Belle Époque

Baneux went by the pseudonym Adrien Barrère and details of his life are sparse. A perpetual student, at various times he studied both medicine and law but qualified in neither.

Barrère’s most iconic work, the 1904 Paris Medical Faculty lithograph, depicted 84 professors including neurologist Pierre Marie and surgeon Paul Poirier. Highly popular with students and widely reprinted, it offered a humorous but respectful homage to the giants of the Parisian medical tradition. The image has become a visual historical record of French medical education at the turn of the century.

Barrère produced over 200 posters, many for Pathé and Eclectic studios, covering a wide array of theatrical and early cinematic releases. His posters were known for their sharp lines, expressive figures, and humorous social commentary. His work contributed significantly to early 20th-century visual culture and commercial art in France.

Best known for his humour and caricatures, notably in satirical newspapers such as Fantasio, Le Rire (Rouge) and L’Assiette au beurre.

Known for combining the precision of medical observation with the exaggeration of caricature, Barrère’s style bridged scientific interest and artistic expression. His ability to capture a subject’s personality in a few strokes placed him among the finest poster artists of the Belle Époque.

Biography
  • 1874 – Born November 13 in the 11th arrondissement of Paris (birth name: Adrien Baneux).
  • 1890s – Studied law and medicine before transitioning to art and caricature.
  • Early 1900s – Began producing theatrical posters for music halls and venues such as the Grand-Guignol.
  • 1904 – Created the famous caricature lithograph of the Paris Medical Faculty (Faculté de Médecine de Paris) featuring 84 professors; distributed widely among students.
  • 1908 – Designed several posters for Pathé Frères including the iconic “Tous y mènent leurs enfants.”
  • 1912 – Recognized as a major illustrator in cinema and theatrical poster production.
  • 1914-1918 active during the War as an artist at the front and produced ‘L’Album du Poilus‘ containing 125 drawings
  • 1923 – Published Le cirque de Paris, highlighting Parisian nightlife and personalities.
  • 1930 – Completed a caricature of filmmaker Abel Gance.
  • 1931 – Died May 19 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, aged 56.

Medical Caricatures

Barrère produced a series of lithographs of the Professors in the Faculties of Medicine and the Law, four of the former and two of the latter. These were printed by Barrère himself and sometimes col­oured by hand. They were produced in the Latin Quarter of Paris and he sold 420,000 over a period of twenty-five years. A seventh medical plate was created, but he decided against publishing it.

The caricatures are faithful and at the time deemed to be a fair depiction of each physician or professor, most associated with some insignia of his particular discipline. Above all they are accurate as Barrère had first hand acquaintance in the lecture-room or operating theatres.

A detailed description of each of the lithographs can be found on their respective pages from the link in their title below

A vivid grouping (1903)
A vivid grouping
Fifteen French doctors wearing aprons and holding various instruments. Barrère, ca. 1903., JSTOR
The naked lady (1906)
Barrère A. Sixteen French doctors with attributes of their specialties 1200
Sixteen French doctors with attributes of their specialties. Colour lithograph by A. Barrère, ca. 1906., JSTOR
12 Professors of Pathology (1910)
12 professors of pathology
Twelve doctors standing in test tubes. Colour lithograph by A. Barrère, ca. 1910. JSTOR
A Cluster of Surgeons (1910)
A Cluster of Surgeons 1
Twelve French surgeons portrayed as pathological specimens in glass jars. Colour lithograph by A. Barrère, ca. 1910. JSTOR

Barrère and the Great War
Adrien Barrère blood transfusion 1917
Adrien Barrère: Blood transfusion, 1917

Barrère was fascinated by medicine and the doctors and nurses he met. He aptly recorded war medicine, and the avant-garde and innovative techniques which evolved during the war such as blood transfusion, IV infusions, radiography, psychiatry, etc.

Adrien Barrère and the Great War 1

Barrère sketched quickly, capturing a snapshot on the battlefields, in the trenches, in field hospitals and on airfields. The faces are drawn with striking realism: they are serious, tortured by both physical and psychological pain that cannot leave anyone indifferent to the suffering.

Adrien Barrère and the Great War 2

The sketches are an exceptional testimony to the daily life of the soldiers, the living conditions, and equipment, with a particular focus on medical care, which evolved a lot during the war. The sense of synthesis and observation of the artist brings a striking realism to the whole and encourages us to the duty of memory.

Barrère A. Les croquis de guerre 1917 Triage

Major Publications

References

Biography

LITFL Lithograph series

  1. Peschanski N, Cadogan M. A vivid grouping (1903). LITFL
  2. Peschanski N, Cadogan M. Sixteen French doctors (1906). LITFL
  3. Peschanski N, Cadogan M. Twelve Professors of Pathology (1910). LITFL
  4. Peschanski N, Cadogan M. A Cluster of Surgeons (1910). LITFL

Eponymous terms

Eponym

the person behind the name

Prof. Nicolas Peschanski currently works as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Urgences Adultes-SAMU-35 SMUR, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes. Nicolas does research in Emergency Medicine at U1096 INSERM EnVI Normandy University research Unit. He's Associate Prof. teaching Clinical Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Rennes-1 University School of Medicine. Involved in the #FOAMed development, he is a current member of the french Society of Emergency Medicine Guideline Committee.

 

BA MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM. Emergency physician, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | Eponyms | Books |

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