Victor Pochon (1890‑post‑1956) was born in Moudon, in the canton of Vaud (Switzerland). An illegitimate child, he was the youngest of a family of six. A good pupil at school, he worked in a bookshop before beginning an apprenticeship as a baker. However, he did not complete it, having left for France at the age of eighteen with a friend, where he remained for four years. On his return to Switzerland in 1912, he completed his military service and was later mobilised during World War I, before being discharged on grounds of ill-health. He was subsequently employed on a number of farms as either a servant or a labourer.

Admitted to Cery psychiatric asylum* at an unknown date, Pochon wrote long letters in careful handwriting, using graphite pencil on used paper.

Addressed to his doctors, state councillors, the French Consul, and the head of the Department of Justice, his prolific correspondence consists of requests to be transferred to France, his desire to learn a new trade, and an appeal to be tried for a crime he did not commit. He also made drawings of scenes featuring farm work and bust portraits framed by floral motifs, illustrating local tradesmen like ‘the shopkeeper’ or ‘the newsagent’.