Tintin In Trenchcoat – Figurines Tintin La Collection Officielle – 1 – Tintin En Trench-Coat

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Price: £75.00
Publisher: Editions Moulinsart
Publication date: 2011
Format: Original pictorial boards with passport and figurine
Condition: In fine condition
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout

Description:

Original pictorial boards. Includes passport loosely inserted along with the advertising leaflet. Text in French. Includes the accompanying figurine. One from the collection of 111 books and figurines. In fine, clean condition overall.

Tintin in a Trenchcoat: A Brief Account

The image of Tintin, the intrepid young reporter created by Belgian artist Hergé, is one of the most enduring in twentieth-century European popular culture. His familiar look—knickerbockers, plus-fours, and quiff—rarely varied throughout the series. However, at certain points Hergé placed Tintin in a trenchcoat, a sartorial choice that subtly altered the atmosphere of the adventures and underscored his role as a journalist, detective, and traveller.

Origins of the Look

The trenchcoat itself is a garment with military origins, designed for officers during the First World War. Its associations with espionage, mystery, and international intrigue made it a perfect fit for moments in Tintin’s stories when a degree of seriousness or discretion was required. Hergé, attentive to visual shorthand, adopted this clothing choice when Tintin needed to blend in, protect himself against inclement weather, or embody the air of a more worldly investigator.

Early Appearances

Tintin is first seen wearing a trenchcoat in Cigars of the Pharaoh and later in The Blue Lotus, stories that mark his transition from light-hearted escapades into more politically and socially engaged narratives. In these works, the trenchcoat reinforces a mood of secrecy and danger, echoing the visual vocabulary of contemporary spy fiction. It also signals Tintin’s evolution from a plucky boy reporter into a more mature figure, capable of navigating international conspiracies.

A Symbol of Professionalism

For readers, the trenchcoat often conveys a professional seriousness that differs from Tintin’s usual attire. Where his plus-fours suggest youthful energy, the coat lends him an air of responsibility. Hergé deployed it in contexts involving shadowy figures, undercover operations, and night-time encounters, situations that called for a visual code more aligned with the thriller genre.

Links with European Culture

The trenchcoat, already entrenched in the iconography of cinema through figures such as Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, connected Tintin to a wider cultural framework of the 1930s and 1940s. Readers of the time would have recognised its associations with travel, intrigue, and espionage. By clothing Tintin in this way, Hergé anchored his character within a lineage of modern European heroes who straddled the boundary between journalism and detective work.

Later Usage

In later albums such as The Calculus Affair, the trenchcoat returns during episodes of Cold War-era tension. Here, Tintin’s appearance resonates with contemporary anxieties about surveillance, secrecy, and shifting political boundaries. The coat is no longer merely practical; it has become a visual motif that reinforces the darker, more complex themes of these adventures.

Legacy

Tintin in a trenchcoat remains one of the most striking alternate images of the character. It demonstrates Hergé’s sensitivity to visual storytelling and his ability to place Tintin within a broader cultural and historical context. For modern readers, the trenchcoat symbolises both continuity and transformation: the same fearless boy reporter, but dressed for a more serious and dangerous world.

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