Manuel Sierra Laffitte

MANUEL SIERRA LAFFITTE (Barcelona, 1898-Madrid, 1963).
"Caricatured drawing", 40s-60s.
Ink on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 14 x 21 cm; 22 x 28 cm (frame).

Also known under the pseudonym of "Mel", Manuel Sierra Laffitte was a cartoonist and illustrator within the art deco movement. He began his career as a caricaturist in Villaviciosa and later moved to Barcelona. In 1921 he made several illustrations for the biweekly magazine Villaviciosa; in 1922 he signed the cover of the first issue of the local weekly Pan y Paz. In 1924 he settled in Madrid as a caricaturist, publishing in the magazine Muchas Gracias. In the 1930s and until the Civil War he excelled as an illustrator of short novels and popular literature. Among the works he illustrated, there was an abundance of erotic and popular themes, with a great deal of mischief. He also illustrated the extensive series of editions of Rocambole and collaborated as an illustrator of children's stories for the 'Colorín' collection of Editorial Calleja. In the 1940s he illustrated Las Fábulas de La Fontaine, published by the Duke of Medinaceli.