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Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation medical satire etching framed
  • Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation medical satire etching framed
  • Detail of Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation French satire print
  • Detail of Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation French satire print
  • Close-up Detail of Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation French satire print
  • Close-up signature Gaston Hoffmann etching Atelier de Réparation
  • Plate impression detail Gaston Hoffmann etching Paris Ducher publisher
  • Back of Framed vintage French medical satire print Atelier de Réparation
  • Reverse frame label L’Art Français Montreal vintage framing label
  • Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation medical satire etching framed
  • Detail of Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation French satire print
  • Detail of Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation French satire print
  • Close-up Detail of Gaston Hoffmann Atelier de Réparation French satire print
  • Close-up signature Gaston Hoffmann etching Atelier de Réparation
  • Plate impression detail Gaston Hoffmann etching Paris Ducher publisher
  • Back of Framed vintage French medical satire print Atelier de Réparation
  • Reverse frame label L’Art Français Montreal vintage framing label
Vintage Gaston Hoffmann “Atelier de Réparation” Hand-Coloured Etching – French Medical Satire Print, Macabre Humour, c.1920s–1930s

Vintage Gaston Hoffmann “Atelier de Réparation” Hand-Coloured Etching – French Medical Satire Print, Macabre Humour, c.1920s–1930s

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This is a vintage French satirical print titled “Atelier de réparation” (Repair Workshop) by the artist Gaston Hoffmann. The scene depicts a darkly humorous surgical workshop where doctors appear to be repairing human bodies as if they were mechanical objects. One surgeon works on a standing patient while another stitches a body draped over a table, while a nurse holds up a framed image as a reference for the “repair.” The exaggerated expressions and surreal situation create a striking example of medical satire with macabre humour, a theme popular in French illustration during the early twentieth century.

The print is signed in the plate “Gaston (stylized) Hoffmann” at lower right and carries the publisher credit “Copyright by Ch. Ducher et Cie, 35 Av. de l’Opéra, Paris.” The image was printed from a metal plate and shows a clear plate impression around the image, indicating it was produced as an etching and finished with subtle hand colouring.

Publisher Charles Ducher & Cie of Paris is known to have issued prints by Gaston Hoffmann during the 1920s and 1930s, placing this example within that period.

The composition reflects the era’s fascination with medical subjects and satirical caricature. Its unusual imagery and dark humour make it a distinctive decorative piece for collectors of vintage illustration, medical satire, macabre art, or oddities-themed décor.

The print is framed under glass in a simple black frame with a gold inner trim and is ready to display. A framer’s label for “L’Art Français” of Montreal, likely dating to the 1960s, appears on the reverse, suggesting the print may have been reframed at that time.

Dimensions

Frame: 15 7/8" x 19 1/4"
Visible image area: 12" x 15 3/4"

Condition

Very good condition overall. The paper covering on the back of the frame is partially missing. The print itself appears intact with no visible fading. The piece has not been removed from the frame for inspection.

A rare and unusual example of early twentieth-century French satirical illustration with distinctive dark humour.

Artist: Gaston Hoffmann
Title: Atelier de réparation (Repair Workshop)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching
Publisher: Ch. Ducher et Cie, Paris
Estimated date: circa 1920s–1930s
Origin: Paris, France
Subject: medical satire / macabre humour illustration
Framing: framed under glass
Frame size: 15 7/8" x 19 1/4"

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