Justin Édouard René Lelong was a French illustrator, engraver and painter. He grew up in Arrou, near Chartes in northern France, and trained in Paris with artists including Léon Bonnat, Charles Busson and François Flameng. He began exhibiting paintings at the Salons des Beaux-Arts in 1892, and regularly exhibited there and at the Salon des Artistes Français, of which he became a member in 1898 after winning a third-class medal in 1895.

A renowned illustrator, Lelong collaborated with many publishing houses, including Flammarion, Hachette and Fayard, illustrating works including Peints par eux-mêmes (Painted by Themselves) by Paul Hervieu, Braves gens (Good People) by Jean Richepin, Jacques le fataliste (Jacques the Fatalist) by Denis Diderot, and Les vrilles de la vigne (The Tendrils of the Vine) by Colette.

Lelong’s academic style relied on precision and fine detail, documenting lively landscapes, well-dressed women, racecourses and beaches. In the post-war period of the 1920s he was a witness of his times, when people needed to reconnect with the sweetness of life. He used his talent for composition to create charming, pleasant scenes, but was also capable of depicting drama, and was particularly good at producing convincing and intelligent illustrations for some of the literary classics of the time.