Herve Baille (1896-1974) was born in Sète in the Hérault. He forged parallel careers as a fine artist and as a cartoonist, sometimes under the pseudonym Untel. Baille made his name contributing drawings to satirical journals such as Le Rire, Le Sourire and Pêle-Mêle; he exhibited with the Salon des Humoristes from the age of 16. Hervé Baille drew the first French daily comic strip, which appeared in the newspaper L'Intransigeant from January 1930. Hervé Baille also worked with Air France, producing posters and designing the interior decor of the aircraft. Baille was appointed a official painter of the Navy.