Paul-Émile BOUTIGNY was a French painter and illustrator, born March 10, 1853 in Paris where he died June 27, 1929. Paul-Émile is the son of Clothilde-Sophie BOUTIGNY, dressmaker at rue Coq-Héron, and an unnamed father. His mother goes to live in Arras where he spends all his youth. Later, he will settle in Wissant near his mother and will have a workshop there. In 1883 he was declared definitively adopted by his mother. He enters the School of Fine Arts and becomes the student of Alexandre CABANEL. Member of the Society of French Artists, he exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1876 and was silver medalist at the World's Fair in 1889 and 1900. His painting "Surprise in a Village, Bonaparte in Italy" was exhibited in Chicago in 1893. Painter of mainly military history, author of some portraits of personalities and landscapes - rare but of an excellent invoice, he was named knight of the Legion of Honour in 1898 with Fernand CORMON as godfather. He is also the creator in 1898 of the satirical, artistic and literary magazine "Cocorico" that he founded with the help of Alfons MUCHA who defends the Art Nouveau (published between December 31, 1898 and May 1, 1902, 63 numbers in total, the second number is marked "2nd year"). He continues to exhibit after the First World War, until his death in 1929.