For the ornithologist called Francis Jourdain, see Francis Charles Robert Jourdain

Francis Charles Robert Jourdain

The Reverend Francis Charles Robert Jourdain , M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., was a notable British amateur ornithologist and oologist...

Francis Jourdain (1876—1958) was a painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

, furniture maker, interior designer, maker of ceramic

Ceramic

A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...

s, and other decorative arts. Starting in the 1930s he became involved in politics and eventually the French Communist Party

French Communist Party

The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...

. At then end of his life, he acted as president of the Secours populaire français.

Son of architect Frantz Jourdain, founder of the salon d'automne

Salon d'Automne

In 1903, the first Salon d'Automne was organized by Georges Rouault, André Derain, Henri Matisse, Angele Delasalle and Albert Marquet as a reaction to the conservative policies of the official Paris Salon...

 collection, he benefited from the relationship of his parents with the era's famous intellectuals (Émile Zola

Émile Zola

Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...

, Alphonse Daudet

Alphonse Daudet

Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the father of Léon Daudet and Lucien Daudet.- Early life :Alphonse Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the bourgeoisie. The father, Vincent Daudet, was a silk manufacturer — a man dogged through life by misfortune...

) and artists (the circle of Alexandre Charpentier

Alexandre Charpentier

Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier was a French sculptor, medalist, craftsman, and cabinet-maker. From working-class origins and apprenticed to an engraver as a young man, he became a studio assistant to the innovative medallist Joseph-Hubert Ponscarme...

). Pioneer of the art nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 style in which he was distinguished as decorator of the Villa Majorelle in Nancy.