Pierre Jacques was born in a family of artists and tradesmen. After the premature dead of his father in 1815, who was a master toolmaker, Pierre became head of the family and took care of his disabled mother, younger brother and two sisters. He was taught as a painter, illustrator and caricaturist and most talented at designing letters and labels. He became friends with marques de Clinchamp, a pupil of Anne-Louis Girodet (1767-1824) and produced his very first lithographs. In 1823 he succeeds Laurent Julien as Professor at the Drawing Academy Toulon, a chair he would fullfil until 1867. In 1860 he was decorated Légion d'honneur by Napoleon III for his honorary drawing lessons for industrial professions. From 1844 on he illustrates for L'illustration, Le Mistral, La Provence artistique et pittoresque and Le Monde Illustré. Létuaire died of cholera on the 4th of September 1885.
The present drawing is a highly unusual symbolist drawing in the oeuvre of Létuaire in contrast to the large corpus of drawings depicting (caricature) figures and landscapes known by tha artist. The composition though reflects on his talent for drawing letters and labels.
