Léon Gaucherel (21 May 1816, Paris – 7 January 1886, Paris) was a French painter and etcher.

He learned art from his childhood friend, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, whom he accompanied to Sicily from 1836 to 1837.^[1] His first major works were illustrations for a project to restore Notre-Dame, proposed by his friend and Jean-Baptiste Lassus in 1843. The following year, he began to master the art of etching.^[2]

Over time, he went from producing original engravings to making reproductions of works by other artists. By 1858, the transition was complete and he began creating illustrations for magazines; notably the Gazette des Beaux-Arts and the Annales Archéologiques, where he depicted decorative architectural details. His work on the Gazette, together with his fellow printmaker Léopold Flameng, helped to establish that publication's reputation.^[3]

He was an active member of the Société des aquafortistes [fr] and, in 1864, was named a Knight in the Legion of Honor.^[4] In 1866 he created a large album of still-lifes to promote etching, which was still considered to be more of a craft than an art. The latest techniques were introduced in an exhibition at the Salon.

In 1875, he became the Artistic Director for the weekly revue, L'Art [fr], founded by Eugène Véron [fr]. During his tenure, he recruited several engravers to be permanent staff members. Among the most popular was Auguste-Hilaire Léveillé [fr]. In addition to his creative activities, he also took numerous students, including Victor Gustave Lhuillier, Louis Monzies, Edmond Ramus, and Adolphe Lalauze.

The museum of art and history in Sainte-Menehould has preserved many of his original plates.

• 
  Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Paradis [fr]
• 
  The Chapelle Saint-Fiacre du Faouët [fr]
• 
  Fountain of Sainte-Anne-la-Palud, Plonévez-Porzay
• 
  The roof of the Hospices de Beaune
• 
  The Sentinel
  (after Meissonier)

• Léon Gaucherel 1816–1886 at Harvard Art Museums
• Catalogue de la collection Gaucherel (1886), @ Gallica