Édouard Pannetier

About the Drawing

This charcoal and pastel drawing on paper, mounted to cardboard, depicts various workers in a cereal or carob warehouse, with sack seamstresses and a young girl in the foreground. Created circa 1910-1920, the work likely portrays a scene from Algiers, where Pannetier resided during this period while teaching at the Lamoricière Lyceum in Oran. The composition bears traces of a signature in the lower right corner.

The drawing exemplifies Pannetier's interest in genre scenes and his documentary approach to everyday life in French Algeria. His attention to the workers' postures, the architectural space of the warehouse, and the interplay of light and shadow demonstrates his academic training and his skill in capturing authentic moments of labor and daily activity. The inclusion of the young girl adds a human dimension to this industrial scene, characteristic of social realist approaches to working-class subjects.

About the Artist

Édouard-Emmanuel-Charles Pannetier (1884-1965) was a French Provençal and Orientalist painter, draftsman, and illustrator. Born on November 6, 1884, in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, he began his artistic studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in his hometown before continuing at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he developed his foundation in both fine art and applied design.

Trained as a drawing teacher, Pannetier worked in Algeria from 1910 to 1920 at the Lamoricière Lyceum in Oran. This decade-long residence in North Africa profoundly influenced his artistic output, as he created numerous landscapes and genre scenes documenting Algerian life and culture. His work from this period reflects the Orientalist tradition while maintaining a documentary quality that distinguishes his approach from purely romantic interpretations.

Upon returning to France around 1920, Pannetier continued his teaching career at the Lycée d'Aix-en-Provence around 1930, settling in the region that would provide the subject matter for his Provençal landscapes. Throughout his career, he painted landscapes and genre scenes from both Algeria and Provence, creating a body of work that bridges French metropolitan and colonial visual culture.

In addition to his painting and drawing, Pannetier was an accomplished illustrator. Notably, he illustrated the 1946 edition of François-René de Chateaubriand's novel "Atala," demonstrating his versatility and his ability to interpret literary texts visually. His illustrations contributed to the visual culture of French literature in the mid-20th century.

Édouard Pannetier died in Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris, on October 14, 1965, at the age of 80, leaving behind a substantial body of work documenting French Provençal and North African subjects.

Technical Details

Artist: Édouard-Emmanuel-Charles Pannetier (1884-1965)
Title: Workers in a Warehouse
Date: c. 1910-1920
Location: Probably Algiers, Algeria
Medium: Charcoal and pastel on paper, mounted to cardboard
Signature: Traces of signature lower right
Condition: Very good condition
Dimensions: 52 x 44 cm / 20½ x 17½ in (sheet)
Frame: 69.5 x 61.5 cm / 27¼ x 24¼ in, wood and gesso, very good condition
Origin: France
Teaching Career: Lamoricière Lyceum, Oran (1910-1920); Lycée d'Aix-en-Provence (c.1930)
Notable Work: Illustrated Chateaubriand's "Atala" (1946 edition)
Sources: Archives de France

A documented genre scene by a French Orientalist painter and illustrator who taught in Algeria for a decade.