ÉMILE BAYARD (France, 1837 - Egypt, 1891). "Le mariage de Figaro", "Le barbier de Seville". Four engravings. Signed in the lower margin. Size: 24 x 17 cm; 36 x 29 cm (frames). Émile Bayard was a pupil of Léon Cogniet, and is best known for his illustration of Cosette for Victor Hugo`s "Les Miserables". He published his first drawings when he was only fifteen years old, and from 1864 he worked mainly as a newspaper illustrator, depicting scenes from the Franco-Prussian War and other contemporary events. At the end of the 19th century, when photojournalism began to displace the illustrated chronicle, Bayard focused on illustrating novels, working for Victor Hugo, Jules Verne and others.