Édouard-Henri Avril (21 May 1843–1928) was a painter and commercial artist. But his Erotic works were issued under the pseudonym Paul Avril after being commissioned to illustrate 80 vignettes for Théophile Gautier's novel Fortunio. His choice of name caused confusion at time because of his brothers name Paul Victor Avril. Edouard-Henri's reputation was soon established and he received many commissions to illustrate both major authors and the so-called "galante literature" of the day, a form of erotica. These books were typically sold in small editions on a subscription basis and usually organised by collectors.
Avril illustrated many works including John Cleland's "Fanny Hill" printed in 1908, a story of a passive woman's sexual awakening. Below is just one of the many illustrations from Fanny Hill "Fanny Emboldens William".
Avril's major work was "De Figuris Veneris" (On the figures of Venus) first published in 1824, which was an anthology of ancient Roman & Greek erotic writings, below we show the main illustrated lithograph of the title. Paul illustrated the French edition by Charles Hirsch in 1907. Avril died at Le Raincy, Paris, France in 1928 leaving behind an erotic legacy that is still being enjoyed by Erotica Lovers today.
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