Donation Farley P. Katz

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Collection of law books, illustrated by Joseph Hémard.

New arrival

For 16 years, Trudi Noordermeer acted as the beloved director of the university library. She retired on the 13th of September 2022 with a festive retirement celebration. The day started off with guided tours of the library and in the afternoon a symposium was held with international speakers. One of those speakers was the American lawyer and book collector Farley P. Katz. He gave an impressive lecture that ended in the surprise donation of an even more impressive gift to the library in honour of Trudi’s retirement. This collection of law books was to be kept at the Special Collections.

Ill. – Farley P. Katz during his lecture.

Hémard in a nutshell

Joseph Hémard (°02/08/1880 - ✝09/08/1961) was one of the most remarkable French draftsman of his generation. His drawings, which are always characterized by his sense of humour, have not lost their power even today.

Hémard’s artistic career started in the 20th century where he sold his drawings to various magazines, like Les Hommes du Jour, Le Pêle-Mêle and Le Bon Vivant. In 1940, Hémard published his own comic book: Le Célèbre Coucouraille et le Capitaine La Pistole. However, Hémard was known most well-known for his book illustrations: Balzac’s D’un paouvre qui avoyt nom le vieux par chemins (1914), Molière’s La Malade Imaginaire (1920), Rabelais’s Gargantua et Pantagruel (1922), Diderot’s Jaques Le Fataliste (1923), the tales and fables of La Fontaine (1930 and 1937) and Voltaire’s Zadig ou la Destinée (1954).

At the same time, Hémard also produced humorous illustrations for technical reference works. His drawings managed to transform these dry texts into funny treasures. For example, multiple law books were thusly illustrated by Hémard: Le Code Civil (1925), Le Code Pénal (ca. 1940 – precise date unknown) and Le Code Général des Impôts Directs et Taxes Assimilées (1944). Because of Farley P. Katz’s generous donation, we now hold a copy of these final three works in our collection.

The illustrations in these books were printed in colour, using the so-called pochoir method, which is a method using cut out stencils that allow for the repeated replication of these motifs. The pochoir method is known for producing illustrations with intense coloration and a clear and fresh look and the method was most popular during the French Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements in the early 20th century.

Hémard’s artistic accomplishments reached further: he also designed costumes, decors for operas and decorations for restaurants and cafés. He wrote theatre texts for the Guignol theatre under the leadership of Charles Genty in Paris. He even made illustrations for the national French lottery and collaborated on Lortac’s animated movies. He was also a member of the Parisian Humourist’s Association, of which he became chairman in 1918.

A closer look at the three humorously illustrated law books.

Code Civil: libre premier: des personnes (nr 398 of 900) – MAG-MP-B 375

Limited issue: 900 books were printed in total, see our catalogue description.

Hémard’s humorous and colourful (and sometimes lightly erotic) illustrations represent the official text of the different parts that make up the French Civil Code that deal with family law. The articles of law that are being illustrated handle various parts of civil law: marriage, divorce, adoption, etc. The goal of these drawings was to liven up the otherwise dry text, as Hémard explains himself at the beginning of the book: « Cette nouvelle édition du Code Civil est appelée à rendre de très grands services à tous ceux qui, par profession ou autrement, magistrats, avocats, hommes mariés et bibliophiles, ont besoin de connaître la loi mais en craignent l’aridité. »

The book itself was published on the 26th of February by Éditions René Kieffer, a publishing house in Paris which was established by René Kieffer (°05/04/1876 - ✝09/09/1963). He started as a book binder, after which he established his own publishing house and later a bookstore. From 1909, Kiefer started publishing luxurious illustrated editions, of which the last (known) ones were published in 1950.

Code Pénal (nr 19 of 910) – MAG-MP-B 374

Limited issue: 910 books were printed in total, see our catalogue description.

Hémard’s humorous and colourful (and sometimes lightly erotic) illustrations represent the official text of the French Penal Code. The Penal code is a sequel of the above Civil Code. Different laws of the criminal code are discussed: criminal and correctional judgments, sanctions for recidivism, etc. Furthermore, different crimes and their accompanying punishments are represented and illustrated in Hémard’s signature humoristic way.

The exact date of publication of this book is unknown, though it is suspected that it was published around 1940. It is published by Éditions Littéraires de France and the book has an original stiff coloured cover, embossed by the publisher, with raised edges and a gilded title on the spine.

Code Général des Impôts Directs et Taxes Assimilées (nr. 730 of 800) – MAG-P-B 376

Limited issue: 800 books were printed in total, see our catalogue description.

Hémard’s humorous and colourful illustrations represent the general law book of the French General Tax Code. This book contains national, regional and local tax laws (about 419 articles of law in total). They regard various kinds of taxes: income tax, property taxes, mining taxes, trade licenses and even taxes on pets. The text also describes administrative provisions and punishments.

The book was published on the 15th of February 1944. At that time, Paris was still occupied and would be liberated six months later by the allied forces. The publication is a collaboration between publishing houses Éditions Littéraires et Artistiques and La Librairie “Le Tryptique”.

This issue regards a limited print of 800 numbered copies, of which only 145 copies contain Hémard’s original drawings. The book in our collection consists of uncut folded folios that are kept together in a separate hard case. The text features 183 drawings in total, all in colour. Almost all of these illustrations are visual puns or capricious images of tax provisions.

Want to know more?

Katz, F. P. (2006). The art of taxation: Joseph Hémard's illustrated tax code. Taks Lawyer, 60(1), 163-200.

Sources consulted (all sources were consulted on 18/08/2023):

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