Jean Alexandre Michel André Castaigne (1861–1929) was a distinguished French artist, engraver, and illustrator who achieved significant acclaim both in his native France and in the United States. Born in Angoulême, Castaigne pursued his artistic training under the tutelage of prominent academic painters Jean-Léon Gérôme and Alexandre Cabanel. This rigorous classical foundation shaped his meticulous style, preparing him for a prolific career in commercial and editorial illustration.\n\nCastaigne later relocated to the United States, where he established himself as a leading illustrator for major publications. He is perhaps best remembered by modern audiences as the original illustrator for the first edition of Gaston Leroux's classic novel, The Phantom of the Opera. His atmospheric and dramatic drawings helped define the visual identity of the gothic masterpiece from its earliest publication.\n\nBeyond his work in fiction, Castaigne was a versatile chronicler of both history and contemporary events. Between 1898 and 1899, he produced a celebrated series of more than thirty-six artworks depicting the life of Alexander the Great. He also worked as a visual journalist, capturing the historic events of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens for Scribner's Magazine in 1896. He eventually returned to his birthplace of Angoulême, where he passed away in 1929.
