David Dellepiane

His father, Vittorio, a supporter of Garibaldi, was apparently compelled to leave for political reasons.

Most of his relatives were craftspeople; his grandfather was a decorator, his grandmother, a gold embroiderer, and his father, a woodcarver who found employment with the French Navy.

Later, he worked under the direction of Jules Chéret, another well known poster artist, who taught him lithography.

Upon returning to Marseille, he set up his first workshop along the canal, on a street that was home to many other artists, including Alfred Casile, Valère Bernard, René Seyssaud, Joseph Garibaldi and Eugène Giraud[1] His first success came with a poster created in 1899 for the 25th centenary of the founding of Marseille; representing the legend of Protis and Gyptis.

[1] In 1903, the newly formed Provençal Tourist Office (Syndicat d'Initiative de Provence) held a competition to design a poster, which Dellepiane won.