Afscheid in Auteuil

1858–1867

Illustrates books by Charles De Coster

Rops illustrates several books by Charles De Coster, his co-founder of “Uylenspiegel”: “Flemish Legends” (1858), “Brabant Tales” (1861) and “The Legend of Uylenspiegel” (1867).

1860s

Divides the year between Thozée, Namur, Brussels and Paris

In the 1860s Rops travels extensively and divides each year between Thozée Castle, Namur, Brussels and Paris; his home becomes a gathering place for artists, writers and publishers, and with each year he spends more time in Paris, at the centre of the art and literary world, and less with his wife and family.

1864–1870

Creates 34 book frontispieces

Between 1864 and 1870 Rops produces 34 frontispieces for books; his association with Baudelaire and his illustrations of the poet’s verse raise the visibility of his work and win the admiration of Théophile Gautier, Stéphane Mallarmé, Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly, Joséphin Péladan, Puvis de Chavannes, Gustave Moreau and Edmond and Jules de Goncourt.

by 1870

Lives in Paris for most of the year

By 1870 Rops has many friends and lives in Paris for most of the year, immersed in literary Paris and the Symbolist and Decadent movements; taking his cue from Baudelaire’s “The Painter of Modern Life”, he cultivates the airs of a dandy — in Félix Fénéon’s words, he anoints himself with rouge, dyes his hair and wears a blood-red shirt, looking, or so he hopes, like a sarcastic Satan.

early 1870s

A marriage in crisis

Long months in Paris away from his wife and his poorly concealed affairs take their toll on the marriage: Charlotte writes that his latest affair is the eighth since they met and married, and ends her letter with a word of pardon. The mistress in question, Alice Renaud, will be murdered a few years later by her jealous husband, and Rops is drawn into the scandal when his intimate love letters to her are read out at the trial.

1870s

Life as a trio with the Duluc sisters

Having known Madame Duluc and her young daughters since the 1860s, Rops begins, not long before the break with his wife, to live as a trio with the sisters Aurélie and Léontine, apparently with their mother’s endorsement. They will live together for more than 25 years, until his death: the sisters run the Paris fashion house Maison Duluc, for which he designs logos and advertisements, and the three twice travel to the United States and Canada to present their fashions.