the artist behind the chiens et valets RARE hermes Scarf

This might just be one of the prettiest Charles-Jean Hallo’s designs. But what am I saying, there are so many others…

His 1963 Chiens et Valets, Dogs and “their” Handlers, is just one of about fourteen designs by this talented French artist for the Maison Hermes.

Monsieur Hallo was born in Lille near the Belgium border on January 13, 1882, but spent his childhood in Dijon where he later studied art at the École des Beaux Arts. After his studies, he relocated to Paris, where he specialized in etching at first. As the world prepared for the first World War, he followed in his father’s footsteps when he joined the military and became an aviary photographer. By the time World War II erupted he rejoined, but by then too old to serve, he became a photographer instructor in the air force.

Although most of us know Charles-Jean Hallo for his work for Hermes, he is best known for his posters for private railroads as well as other advertising material and known in the art world simply as ALO.

His talents included drawing, watercolor, gouache, etching and wood engraving. He was enlisted by Hermes in the mid 1950s and his Grande Venerie Royale (1956) seems to be his first of a total of fourteen designs all depicting various hunting scenes. His Val de Loire might have preceded it, but its date is unknown.

Monsieur Hallo died in 1969 but his legacy lives on.

He has left us with some of the most beautiful Hermes scarves, all highly sought after and collected around the world. Here is a sampling of his masterfully executed hunting scenes.