Painter, printmaker and lithographer Victor Mignot was born in Brussels in 1872 and began his career as a book illustrator in an era when the illustrated book had receded in popularity. Full of confidence and a sense of youthful immortality, the nineteen-year-old Mignot then persuaded the publisher of a new magazine, Le Cycliste Belge, to hire him as its designer/illustrator. Though Cycliste Belge did not last for very long, his experience inspired Mignot to design and publish an illustrated sporting paper, where his skills as an artist flowered. From this point forward, his designs enjoyed great popularity, and while his output included all manner of commissioned work including menus and etchings, it is for his posters that he is best known. A skillful draftsman and printmaker, Mignot produced a number of beautifully rendered etchings throughout his long career. He died in Brussels as the Second World War drew to a close.