Robert Michel: Drawing Devil’s Island
Depictions of life in France's harsh penal colony
The penal colony of Cayenne, widely known as Devil’s Island in French Guiana, operated as a notorious French prison for a century beginning in 1852. During its grim history, over 80,000 individuals were sentenced to life in this fever-ridden camp. A mere 18,000 were fortunate enough to attain their freedom. This shocking death toll was a calculated aspect of the French penal system. Devil’s Island embodied all the harsh realities of incarceration, reminiscent of infamous prisons like Sing Sing, Alcatraz, Leavenworth, and the Georgia chain gang.
Some convicts wrote of their harrowing experiences, most notably Henri Charrière (1906-1973) with his semi-biographical novel Papillon (1969) and René Belbenoît’s (1899-1959) Dry Guillotine: Fifteen Years Among the Living Dead (1938).
In 1921, Belbenoît was arrested for stealing, then sentenced and sent to Devil’s Island. His book vividly describes the harsh conditions and grueling work he and other prisoners endured, often naked and shoeless, amongst swarming mosquitoes in the sweltering heat of the tropics.
Belbenoît was clever and creative. He endured by writing about his experiences. By 1935, after several attempts, he managed to escape from Devil’s Island. He was one of only two people to succeed at this. He writes about how he spent 30 days at sea in an open boat, pulled a gun on his comrade who sought to turn back, washed up on the island of Trinidad, lived seven months amongst Guna Indians in the Panamanian jungle and stowed away on a boat to California.
In all his escape attempts, he clung to a package wrapped in oilskins to shield its contents from the elements. Inside was his 900-page prison memoir, which included several flattened cigarette packs with notes written on their backs, along with a few cherished drawings created by a fellow inmate named Robert Michel.
Very little is written about Michel. His eleven pen and crayon drawings were published in Dry Guillotine, and credited merely as ‘Illustrations by a Fellow Prisoner.’ It was only in an article in a 1938 issue of Life magazine that the artist’s name is mentioned. While these images have a naive quality, they are no less as vivid and real as Belbenoît’s writing. They depict life in the penal colony based on his firsthand observations. While Belbenoît crafts engaging yet somewhat embellished narratives, it is Michel’s drawings that capture the raw and unfiltered realities. These artworks stand as the sole remnants of Michel’s artistic legacy, following his death from typhoid fever.
Belbenoît made his way to New York, where he published Dry Guillotine in 1938. This was the same year France stopped sending prisoners to the penal colony. It was officially closed in 1953. Today, Devil’s Island offers a unique blend of history and natural beauty, making it a compelling destination for tourists. If you go, dress appropriately and stay hydrated.
These drawings by Robert Michel were published in René Belbenoît’s book Dry Guillotine.
More to Know:
Read a brief story of René Belbenoît’s daring escape from Devil's Island.
There are just a few artworks found to have been made on Devil's Island. Some are the on-site frescos by art forger Francis Lagrange, who also attemped several cleverly-conceived escapes. Eventually Lagrange published his own book in 1961, with some odd cartoons.
Find an interesting photo archive of life on Devil's Island here.
View some pages from René Belbenoît’s Dry Guillotine: Fifteen Years among the Living Dead.
ArtReach provides an online platform for incarcerated artists on San Quentin Prison's Death Row to exhibit their art.
Michel's drawings are a bit primitive but certainly fully expressive of the horrors of Devil's Island. So completely sadistic and inhumane. Working outside in the blistering heat with only a straw hat, completely naked. Amazing that the escapee kept the drawings safely protected.
Thank you for sharing. Another reminder of the indomitable will to survive.
Thank you for featuring Robert Michel's drawings in Rene Belbenoit's life-saving memoir. Fascinating reading about Belbenoit's indomitable spirit after all his years in the penal colony. The power of art and word and in Belbenoit's long road to freedom and influence is amazing. The ArtReach link to SQ's incarcerated artists is also terrific! Art is soul's salvation is any setting.