About the artist:

Charles Forget, son of Auguste Forget, originally from Pontorson, and Angeline Paignon, from Granville, had a childhood well supervised by his parents. He continued his schooling in the municipal school of Rue Saint-Maur in Paris. His very independent character led him to leave the family home as soon as he was old enough to earn his living. Very interesting and quite lucrative, these occupations [working in cafés and restaurants] nevertheless left very little leisure to indulge in his passion for the arts: drawing and music. The only solution was to ask the boss for his account as soon as he judged his savings sufficient to grant himself a period of freedom allowing him to draw and practice music by playing the horn and the cornet. A few drawings and watercolors sold, a few fees for certain shows or concerts allowed him to extend his artistic vacations. This period was interrupted by his incorporation into the 282nd Infantry Regiment of Montargis where he not only devoted his time to marches and exercises but also to participating in festivals and hunts as a trumpet player. Upon returning to civilian life on October 9, 1909, he resumed his life, sometimes as a wine merchant, sometimes as an artist until the day when, as he got older, his father advised him, if he ever wanted to start a family, to stabilize his situation and had him join the Société du Gaz de Paris where he himself was employed as an inspector working at the Gaz, and creating drawings, watercolors, and music. On August 4, 1914, he left Gare de Bercy in Paris for an absence of four and a half years. Demobilized on March 27, 1919 from the 6th Infantry of Saintes , benefiting from demobilization vacations, Charles Forget left for Dinan, drawing in this magnificent city, then in Rouen and in Paris.