Charles
Samuel Girardet

Charles Samuel Girardet, born on November 24, 1780, in Le Locle and died on January 16, 1863, at Versailles, is a Swiss engraver and lithographer, having spent much of his career in Paris.

Son of Samuel Girardet, bookseller-publisher, and Marie-Anne Bourquin, he is a member of a family of designers and engravers including Abraham, Abram-Louis and Alexandre.

He studied printmaking with his brothers and, in 1805, he joined in Paris, Abraham, who helped him financially to complete his training. In 1811-1812, he learned about stone engraving and illustrated the Histoires de la Bible by Jean Hubner. From 1813 to 1822, he was active at Locle.

In 1823, he returned to Paris, where he carried out research on relief engraving on stone.

First prize of the Société d'encouragement à l'industrie nationale de Paris in 1831, he was awarded a first-class gold medal for the application of lithography to typography the following year.

He was the first master of Louis Léopold Robert.

Charles Samuel is the father of Karl Girardet and Édouard Girardet (1819-1880), also draftsmen