Adolphe Valette and the Firefly

Abstract

Adolphe Valette was born in Saint-Étienne, France, a medium-sized, industrial city located southwest of Lyon. In his formative years, he typified the struggling young artist, who worked during the day and attended art classes in the evenings. Employment and education were the twin factors that determined where he chose to live, which meant moving to cities with an economy vibrant enough to support a respectable art school. Consequently, Valette found himself immersed in the bustling urban world of industry: his art in the service of commerce.