Geoffroy-Dechaume, Charles.

Charles Geoffroy-Dechaume (1877-1944) was a French artist, born in Paris. He was educated at the Lycée Henry IV and at the Ecole des Beaux Arts where he met Neville Lytton, who became a close friend. In 1907, Geoffroy-Dechaume and his wife, Geneviève, went to live in England near Crabbet Park, the home of Lytton and his wife, Judith. Although exempt from military service, Geoffroy-Dechaume returned to France in 1914 to join the army as a volunteer. He was wounded in his first engagement which resulted in the loss of his leg. He returned to the front with the British as a "peintre des Armées." After the war, Geoffroy-Dechaume and his family moved to Valmondois, Seine et Oise, but kept up a steady correspondence with his English acquaintances. His paintings can be found in galleries in Britain and France, including the War Museum, the Fitzwilliam, and the Royal Collection. Geoffroy-Dechaume died at Valmondois in 1944.

Source: Bernard Quaritch, Ltd. collection description.

From the guide to the Charles Geoffroy-Dechaume correspondence, 1907-1960., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)