Léon Benett

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Léon Benett, (born Hippolyte Léon Benet; 1838 Orange, Vaucluse – 1917 Toulon) was a French painter and illustrator. He changed his surname to "Benett", because "Benet" means "silly" in french.

Benett is the most important illustrator of books written by Jules Verne; during 1873 - 1910 he illustrated twenty five novels from the Voyages Extraordinaires series. He also illustrated other books by Verne.

He illustrated works of Victor Hugo, Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Mayne Reid, André Laurie, Camille Flammarion, and others. Benett's illustrations often depict exotic countries, arising from his real experiences as a government employee in which he visited Algeria, Indochina, Martinique, and New Caledonia.