Early Life, Family and Training

Born near Paris in about 1794, Auguste Hervieu entered a world shaped by the Napoleonic era. His father served as a colonel in the army of Napoleon, a position that dictated the early trajectory of the boy's life. Instead of the canvas, the military school provided his first classroom. He followed the path his father intended, training for a military career until the sudden death of his father disrupted these plans.

The vacuum left by his father's passing shifted his focus from the barracks to the studio. Auguste Hervieu turned toward the arts, seeking formal instruction under the established masters of the French school. He first studied under Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson. His training continued under the guidance of Antoine-Jean Gros. These mentors provided the technical foundation for a career that would eventually span from the salons of France to the streets of London.

Life and Activity in London

Political friction forces a sudden departure. In 1823, Hervieu's anti-royalist stance in France leads to exile, pushing him toward the streets of London. He arrives in England not as a refugee in despair, but as a working professional. He establishes himself within the city's artistic circles, operating as both a painter and a book illustrator. The London art scene provides the necessary friction for his transition from a student of the French masters to a self-sustaining professional in a foreign capital.

Life in London takes on a more settled character as the years pass. In 1844, he enters into marriage within the city. His presence in the English art world remains steady, moving between the demands of portraiture and the meticulous requirements of illustration. By 1858, his career reaches a formal milestone when he exhibits his work at the Royal Academy. This exhibition marks a significant moment of recognition within the established British art hierarchy.

Travels and Work in America

November 1827 marks a sharp departure from his life in London. Hervieu boards a vessel for America, traveling alongside the writer Frances Trollope. He is not there merely as a companion, but as a tutor for her children. Among those students is a young boy who will one day become the novelist Anthony Trollope. The group moves through the American landscape, eventually settling in Cincinnati.

Life in the American West demands more than just portraiture. In Cincinnati, Hervieu establishes a drawing school to sustain himself. He remains with the Trollope party through their various movements, including a relocation to the community at Nashoba, Tennessee. His presence in the country is defined by this dual existence: providing instruction to children and attempting to build an artistic foothold in a rapidly changing territory.

Major Commissions and Illustrations

Hervieu’s career finds a steady rhythm through his long-standing collaboration with Frances Trollope. He acts as her chief illustrator, translating her observations into visual form across several decades. This partnership produces the imagery for her 1832 book, Domestic Manners of the Americans. The work captures the nuances of life in the United States, a subject he explored extensively during his time in the country.

The collaboration continues as Trollope returns to Europe. In 1840, Hervieu provides the illustrations for her book A Summer in Brittany. His ability to render specific settings makes him a frequent choice for literary accompaniment. This professional bond extends beyond her travelogues into later publications, including the 1859 book The Broad Arrow by Oliné Keese.

Notable Portraits and Surviving Works

The surviving record of Hervieu’s portraiture captures a cross-section of mid-19th-century society, from political figures to technical innovators. His brushwork documented the faces of those navigating a rapidly changing era. Among these remains is a portrait of the engineer James Watt, a figure central to the industrial age. The artist also turned his attention to the domestic and social spheres, capturing the likeness of the society cook Charles Elmé Francatelli.

His work often intersected with the lives of his patrons and companions. A portrait of Frances Trollope survives, documenting the woman with whom he shared much of his professional and personal life. In the United States, his output included an oil painting of Mary Custis Lee, executed about 1830. These works, held in various collections including the National Portrait Gallery in London, provide the primary visual evidence of his skill as a portraitist and his presence in the social circles of London and beyond.

• Portrait of Frances Trollope
• Portrait of James Watt
• Portrait of Charles Elmé Francatelli
• Oil painting of Mary Custis Lee, about 1830