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Gaston Charles Guillaume Darbour was born in Sedan in the Ardennes. At the age of 14 Darbour, enthused by the illustrations in a periodical, told his parents he wanted to be an artist. Unimpressed, they sent him abroad - to Germany, Austria, and England - in the hope that he would forget his foolish dream. But at the age of 20 Gaston Darbour enrolled at the École des Arts Décoratifs, and subsequently studied under Jules Lefebvre and Jean Benjamin-Constant at the Beaux-Arts.

These years of study he subsequently declared "useless". It was not until a friend took him to visit Félicien Rops that he discovered his true métier. Rops took one look at Darbour's sketchbook and told him to take up printmaking.

Most of Gaston Darbour's etchings were proofed in very small numbers. It seems he did not need to make a living from his art, or to make his way in the hustle and bustle of the Paris art market; cushioned by private means, he lived a peaceful life in the Château d'Uzos, near Pau. Darbour regularly exhibited at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. (Idbury Prints)

Not unlike the Maitre de L'Affiche series, L'Estampe Moderne was a portfolio printed between 1897-98, published by Imprimerie Champenois, Paris, contained 24 monthly portfolios, with four original lithographs in each. Each commissioned only for this series. Some of the contributing artists included Mucha, Rhead, Meunier, Ibels, Steinlen, Willette and Grasset.