Gustave Fraipont (1849–1923) was born in Belgium but became a naturalised French citizen. He was a Professor of drawing at the Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur and authored numerous books on the art of drawing. In the 1880s and 1890s he painted numerous posters for railway companies, including Chemins de fer de l'Ouest and Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord. He also illustrated books on Paris and the French regions. In 1905, he was appointed Navy painter. During World War One, he produced several compositions for the newspaper L'Illustration.
