4 OF 9 
Camille Bombois with his wife; Eugénie Christophe
4 of 9 portraits of Camille Bombois
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Share this
Camille Bombois with his wife; Eugénie Christophe
by Ida Kar
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1954
Purchased, 1999
Photographs Collection
NPG x132961
Sittersback to top
- Camille Bombois (1883-1966), Painter. Sitter in 9 portraits.
- Eugénie Christophe, Wife of Camille Bombois. Sitter in 3 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Ida Kar (1908-1974), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 1567 portraits, Sitter in 137 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Kar photographed the couple at their home in the suburbs of Paris. Writer Bill Hopkins wrote: 'Still the honest, down-to earth peasant, Bombois's one concession to his fame is the velvet poet's tie.'
Linked publicationsback to top
- Freestone, Clare (appreciation) Wright, Karen (appreciation), Ida Kar Bohemian Photographer, 2011 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 10 March to 19 June 2011), p. 79 Read entry
Born in Venarey-les-Laumes in the Côte d'Or in eastern France, Bombois grew up on a canal barge. At the age of twelve he was sent to work on a farm. Known for his strength, he became a local champion wrestler and joined a travelling circus. From 1907 Bombois lived in Paris, working as a labourer. He later took a night job at a newspaper printing press and painted during the day, making several visits to the Louvre to study the old masters. He served in the First World War and received several awards for bravery. By 1922 his pavement displays in Montmartre had come to the attention of Wilhelm Uhde and other critics. Bombois soon became one of the best-known naïve painters of his day, participating in numerous collective exhibitions. He had his first one-man show in 1944 at the Galerie Pétridès in Paris. Kar photographed Bombois with his wife Eugénie Christophe at their home in the suburbs of the city. A variant pose of Bombois next to one of his circus paintings was included in Kar's 1954 Gallery One exhibition. Bill Hopkins wrote: 'Still the honest, down-to earth peasant, Bombois's one concession to his fame is the velvet poet's tie.'
Events of 1954back to top
Current affairs
Roger Bannister runs the four-minute mile. Bannister was the first man to achieve the 'miracle mile', a feat that was thought by some to be impossible, beating his rival, the Australian John Landy, to the record. Bannister went on to a career as a distinguished neurologist.Food rationing ends in Britain.
Art and science
J.R.R. Tolkien publishes the first two parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Tolkien was an Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon language and literature and drew on his scholarly interests in history, language and mythology to create the fictional land of Middle Earth where the books are set.Williams Golding publishes, Lord of the Flies.
International
The South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) is established in Bangkok. This international defence organisation was established as part of the 'containment' policy of limiting the influence of communism. SEATO was, however, found to be ineffective as the member organisations failed to agree on combined action; it was disbanded in 1977.Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
