A Charming and Personal Hergé Original
This delightful original sketch, dated November 14, 1974, captures a moment of quintessential Hergé humor: Captain Haddock, the irascible seaman of the Tintin series, receives an undignified spray from a mischievous camel. The drawing is a faithful rendering of a panel from Le Temple du Soleil (1949), the seventh adventure of Tintin, in which the explorers encounter various challenges—including animal indignities—during their quest in the Peruvian Andes.
The Composition
The sketch depicts Haddock in profile, his distinctive blue sweater and black cap rendered with swift economy, his face a perfect mask of startled outrage. The camel, positioned at left, delivers its payload with clinical precision, the arc of spit captured in a few deft strokes. Hergé's ligne claire (clear line) style is unmistakable even in this informal setting; every line serves its purpose, and the composition achieves maximum comic effect with minimal means.
The image area measures 5.25 inches square, positioned in the upper left corner of a larger sheet (11" x 8.5"). This placement suggests a spontaneous creation—perhaps drawn during a meeting, a signing session, or a private moment with the recipient. The surrounding blank space amplifies the intimacy of the gesture: this was not a formal commission but a personal gift, a moment shared between Hergé and the recipient, Claude.
The Inscription
Below the drawing, Hergé has written in his distinctive hand:
"À Claude, fait gaffe aux animaux"
The phrase is characteristically Hergéan in its gentle humor. "Fait gaffe" is colloquial French for "be careful" or "watch out"—literally, "make a blunder," but idiomatically, "beware." The complete inscription thus reads: "To Claude, watch out for animals." It is at once a warning, a joke, and a reference to the scene depicted. The inscription transforms the sketch from a simple drawing into a private communication, a piece of Hergé's wit preserved on paper.
The date—14.11.1974—places the work in the period following the completion of Tintin and the Picaros (which would be published in 1976), when Hergé was increasingly engaged with fans, collectors, and friends, and when his health (he suffered from tuberculosis in the 1970s) made such personal interactions all the more meaningful.
Historical Context: Le Temple du Soleil
Le Temple du Soleil (originally serialized 1946-1949) represents the peak of Hergé's mid-career storytelling. In this adventure, Tintin and Haddock travel to Peru to rescue Professor Calculus, who has been kidnapped for the crime of wearing an ancient Inca bracelet. Along the way, they encounter llamas, condors, and—memorably—a camel with impeccable aim. The scene depicted in this sketch is a small comic interlude in a larger narrative, a moment of levity that showcases Hergé's gift for visual humor.
By 1974, Le Temple du Soleil was a beloved classic, and Hergé's choice to revisit this specific panel suggests a fondness for the scene—or perhaps an in-joke shared with Claude.