~ 1898 - 1963
Laffitte was a Spanish cartoonist and illustrator. His biography is quite incomplete. He was born in Barcelona where his father, Casimiro Canalejo Soler, an official in the Telegraph Corps, had settled when he remarried Carmen Sierra Laffitte in 1894. When she became a widow ten years later, the family moved to Villaviciosa, where Mel begins to draw and begins as a caricaturist and illustrator. Encouraged by his local fame he moved to Barcelona in 1915 'to perfect himself in the art of caricature'.
In 1921 he made various illustrations for the biweekly magazine Villaviciosa; In 1922 he signed the cover of the first issue of the local weekly Pan y Paz. In 1924 Mel landed in Madrid as a caricaturist, publishing drawings and comics in the comic-festive magazine Muchas Gracias and collaborate with others of the same genre. In the 1930s and until the Civil War, stood out as an illustrator of short novel and popular literature.
Among the works he illustrated, erotic themes abound, popular and quite a bit mischief. He made various covers for the magazine Ba-Ta-Klan. Some of the erotic novel collections to which Mel contributed her drawings are: Colección Imperio, La Novela Pasional, La Novela Alegre, Frú-Frú, La Novela de Hoy o La Novela Mundial.
He also illustrated the extensive series of editions of Rocambole and he designed some covers of his friend's works Eduardo Zamacois. After the Civil War he abandons the pseudonym Mel and begins to sign as Laffitte or MS Laffitte, mainly illustrations for children's and young people's stories.
Using the pseudonym Mel the artist Manuel Sierra Laffitte illustrated erotic novels such as Memorias de una masoquista (Memoirs of a masochist) this an erotic novel about BDSM and lesbianism published in Spain around 1931 by “Prensa Moderna”, a publishing house settled in Madrid.
2 album/11 artworks
Latest Update: August 28, 2025 > Added a bio and 2 artworks
To view all artworks you need to login
Make sure that you are logged in as premium member to view and download all artworks. Select one of the options that applies to you:
- I am already a member, let me login
- I don't have an account and need to sign up, let me register
- I did have an account but forgot my password
- I want to check my account
- I am considering to become premium member but I have questions, please read the faq or contact me.
- I am a premium member but I have problems viewing premium content, please contact me.
Karen Smits