La Tronche à Machin : Rimbaud's Album first part - Arthur Rimbaud

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La Tronche à Machin
Rimbaud's Album

The title of this album "La Tronche à Machin" comes from a drawing of Arthur Rimbaud after his friend Ernest Delahaye circa 1875. Rimbaud had shaved his head as a sign of mourning after the death of his young sister Vitalie.

You will find here drawings made by Arthur, by his friends and relatives: his sister Isabelle, Paul Verlaine, Ernest Delahaye, Felix Regamey, Germain Nouveau... They often illustrated their correspondance. Having no news about their friend once he has left for the Unknown, they imagined his life, with a lot of humour.

In the second part, you will find works by several artists that the poet inspires like Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Jules Franck Mondoloni, Herve Constant, David Wojnarowicz, Pascal Debruxelles and so on.

Most of the drawings have been taken from the splendid book of Claude Jeancolas "Passion Rimbaud: L'Album d'une vie" (the album of a life), and from the book "Rimbaud l'heure de la fuite, by Alain Borer". They come from Rimbaud's Museum-Library in Charleveille-Mézières or from private collections.

La Tronche à Machin - 2nd part

Arthur Rimbaud's Photographies and self portraits

On the 4 last photographs, it is supposed to be Rimbaud. On the controversy about these photographs, see the forum and the Articles page (in French).
On the study of Rimbaud's face, so often altered, see:
- Jacques Desse: Rimbaud retouché, Culturevisuelle.org, 29 janvier 2011.
- Jacques Bienvenu: "Connaitrons-nous jamais la vraie image de Rimbaud ?", Le Magazine Littéraire n° 498, juin 2010.