About the artist:
Three generations of the Gruel family ran successfully the Paris bookbinding workshop founded by Isidore Deforge in 1811. In 1825, Deforges handed the workshop over to his son-in-law Pierre-Paul Gruel, who was an engraver by trade but quickly became familiar with bookbinding. When Pierre-Paul Gruel died in 1846, his widow Catherine continued to manage the workshop. From 1850 on, she ran the business with her second husband Jean Engelmann, a renowned lithographer. Catherine’s and Pierre-Paul’s son Léon Gruel, born 1841, took over in 1875. Initially, he ran the workshop together with his step-brother Edmond Engelmann until Edmond’s death in 1892 left him as the sole owner. Léon was well-educated, and thanks to his expertise and intelligence, the workshop became the best address for fine bindings in Paris.
Léon Gruel owned one of the finest collections of bindings in the city. He also wrote several highly regarded books, the best known is “Manuel historique et bibliografique”, published in 1887 and complemented by a second volume in 1905. In 1902, shortly after the death of his wife, the ailing Léon moved to Southern France and left the business to his son Paul, born in 1864.
