Victor-Napoléon Vuillerme-Dunand was a silk worker before he became a comedian in 1842. In 1848, he joined the small troupe that perpetuated the theatrical legacy of Guignol’s creator, Laurent Mourguet (1769-1844). This troupe was then composed of Laurent Mourguet’s son-in-law, Claude Louis François Josserand (alias Louis Josserand Père), and his son Étienne-Jean also known as Louis Josserand, and they performed at the Café du Caveau (Lyon, France). In September 1852, they created the Théâtre Guignol in the Rue Port-du-Temple (previously known as Rue Écorche-Boeuf), in the Café Condamin, where they met with great success: Vuillerme-Dunand established himself as the greatest “Guignoliste” (Guignol glove puppeteer) of his time. He developed the character of Gnafron, which he gave to Louis Josserand, whilst he was playing Guignol.

The manuscripts given by Vuillerme-Dunand to lawyer Jean-Baptiste Onofrio (1814-1892), mixed with other sources, allowed the latter to publish the two installments of the Théâtre lyonnais de Guignol (1865 and 1870).