(b Colmar, 12 Feb 1770; d Versailles, 24 March 1829). French painter, miniaturist and draughtsman. He had an early love for drawing and was given a rudimentary training under Joseph Hohr in Colmar. He travelled to Paris in 1790; there he became one of the first pupils of Jacques-Louis David. In his atelier, he acquired the name Casimir because ‘Karpff’ was found difficult to pronounce. In 1793 he toyed with the idea of travelling to Rome to complete his studies but decided to carry on for a further two years under David. His training instilled a love for classical and mythological subjects, but most of his paintings on these subjects were without distinction. He always felt uneasy with colour, and soon learnt that it was wisest to restrict himself to monochrome painting and drawing. In 1795 he was called from Paris to Colmar to teach drawing at the newly founded art school; he also organized the local Republican festivals through his association with David. While in Colmar he drew portraits (untraced) of the poet Théophile-Conrad Pfeffel (1736–1809) and of Général Jean Rapp (1772–1821). In 1806 he was summoned to the château of Saint-Cloud to draw the portrait of the Empress Josephine Bonaparte (untraced), after she had been impressed by his portrait of Général Rapp; he never returned to Colmar. The portrait of the Empress won a gold medal at the 1809 Salon and drew from David the comment that ‘the art of drawing could be extended no further’. The work made Karpff famous and sought after. Soon after its exhibition he was invited by the poet Victoire Babois (1760–1839) to live in Versailles, where he remained for the rest of his life. Among the numerous portraits he executed are Portrait of the Artist’s Father (1789; Colmar, Mus. Unterlinden), the miniature of the Mother of the Painter Auguste Bigand (Avignon, Mus. Calvet) and the Portrait of the Poet Victoire Babois (Versailles, Château).