''Le Courrier français'' was an illustrated weekly founded and edited by Jules Roques. It appeared from 1884 to 1914.

History

Cheret, Jules - Le Courrier Francais (pl 49)

Under the direction of Jules Roques, ''Le Courrier français'' became the most representative satirical organ of the time. Notable writers included

Maurice Bouchor Maurice Bouchor (18 November 1855 – 18 January 1929) was a French poet. He was born in Paris. He published in succession ''Chansons joyeuses'' (1874), ''Poèmes de l'amour et de la mer'' (1875), ''Le Faust moderne'' (1878) in prose and verse, ...

Raoul Ponchon Raoul Ponchon (born 30 December 1848 in La Roche-sur-Yon, France, died 3 December 1937 in Paris, France) was a French poet. A friend of Arthur Rimbaud, he was one of only "seven known recipients" of the first edition of ''A Season in Hell ...

, Georges Montorgueil, Hugues Delorme and

Jean Lorrain Jean Lorrain (9 August 1855 in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime – 30 June 1906), born Paul Alexandre Martin Duval, was a French poet and novelist of the Symbolist school. Lorrain was a dedicated disciple of dandyism and spent much of his time amongs ...

. Illustrators included

Adolphe Willette Adolphe Léon Willette (30 July 1857, Châlons-sur-Marne4 February 1926, Paris) was a French Painting, painter, illustrator, caricaturist, and lithographer, as well as an architect of the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. Willette ran as an "antisem ...

, David Ossipovitch Widhopff,

Jean-Louis Forain Jean-Louis Forain (23 October 1852 – 11 July 1931) was a French Impressionist painter and printmaker, working in media including oils, watercolour, pastel, etching and lithograph. Compared to many of his Impressionist colleagues, he was mo ...

Jules Chéret Jules Chéret (31 May 1836 – 23 September 1932) was a French painter and lithographer who became a master of ''Belle Époque'' poster art. He has been called the father of the modern poster. Early life and career Born in Paris to a poor but ...

Hermann-Paul René Georges Hermann-Paul (27 December 1864 – 23 June 1940) was a French artist. He was born in Paris and died in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. He was a well-known illustrator whose work appeared in numerous newspapers and periodicals. His fine art ...

Henri Pille Charles Henri Pille (4 January 1844 – 4 March 1897) was a French painter and illustrator. Life Charles Henri Pille was born in Essômes-sur-Marne, Aisne, on 4 January 1844. He studied under Félix-Joseph Barrias. He submitted his first paintin ...

and Pierre Jeannot. The magazine included sections on literature, fine arts, theater, medicine and finance. Until 1895 the newspaper represented the light and sarcastic spirit of ''

fin de siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context ...

'' Paris, and welcomed elite illustrators who met every evening at the ''Rat Mort'' café in Montmartre. From 1885 Jules Roques welcomed the '' Incohérents''.

published his famous "rhymed Gazettes" there, satirical and light pieces on news items. Henri Pille presented the manners of the time from a middle-aged viewpoint.

, responsible for illustrating most of the cover pages, was a lover of Montmartre and finely depicted Pierrots and Harlequins. From 1887 Jules Roques, Adolphe Willette and other artists organized the famous masked balls of ''Le Courrier''. These were not designed as venues for showing off amusing costumes, but as meetings of groups of symbolic figures, illustrating a theme that was planned and announced in advance. These balls helped to revive the

Paris Carnival The Paris Carnival (french: Carnaval de Paris) is an annual festival held in Paris, France. The carnival occurs after the Feast of Fools and has been held since the 16th century or earlier, with a long 20th century interregnum. History of Ca ...

, which had been interrupted after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the Siege of Paris and the bloody suppression of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

. The preparatory drawings published in the Courier for these balls encouraged female participants to dress very lightly, which explains the success of the events. On 15 June 1888 ''Le Courrier'' organized the "children's ball". The jury included

disguised as Saint John the Baptist, Henri Pille as a constable and

as a policeman. The characters of the

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

were fashionable: Pierrot, Pierrette, Harlequin and Punchinello. Pille was a favorite subject of Willette, another great illustrator of the time and contributor to the ''Revue illustrée'' and the ''Courrier''. ''Le Courrier français'' provoked the public with daring prints. The owner Jules Roques was always interested in commercial success, while Louis Legrand tried to give it a rustic and humanitarian aspect. The hopes raised by the Exposition Universelle of 1900 were disappointed. The tone of the journal changed with the arrival of René Georges Hermann-Paul, who attacked priests, businessmen and some of the customs of the time. Violent and ironic, he was not only the perfect illustrator of

Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...

, but also a righter of wrongs with his violent and bitter graphics. His pessimistic spirit resulted in a black art that evoked cruel scenes with acerbic captions. ''Le Courrier'' organized several sales of drawings by its employees at the

Hôtel Drouot Hôtel Drouot is a large auction house in Paris, known for fine art, antiques, and antiquities. It consists of 16 halls hosting 70 independent auction firms, which operate under the umbrella grouping of Drouot. The firm's main location, called D ...

, including one on 25 April 1904 and another on 27 January 1905 under the hammer of Raymond Pujos, auctioneer.

Other artists

Artists whose work appeared in the magazine included * Jules Fontanez * Oswald Heidbrinck *

Jacques Villon Jacques Villon (July 31, 1875 – June 9, 1963), also known as Gaston Duchamp, was a French Cubist and abstract painter and printmaker. Early life Born Émile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp in Damville, Eure, in Normandy, France, he came ...

* Pierre-Auguste Lamy *

Manuel Robbe Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

Paul César Helleu Paul César Helleu (17 December 1859 – 23 March 1927) was a French oil painter, pastel artist, drypoint etcher, and designer, best known for his numerous portraits of beautiful society women of the '' Belle Époque''. He also conceived the cei ...

Alfred Choubrac Alfred Choubrac (Paris, 30 December 1853 – Paris, 25 July 1902) was a French painter, illustrator, draughtsman, poster artist and costume designer. Together with Jules Chéret he is considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern coloured ...

* Auguste Roedel

Other uses of the title

The title ''Le Courrier français'' has been used by other publications. There was a ''Courrier français'' in the days of the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

edited by

Louis François Auguste Cauchois-Lemaire Louis François Auguste Cauchois-Lemaire (August 28, 1789 in Paris – August 9, 1861 in Paris) was a French journalist. Biography Towards the end of the First French Empire, First Empire he was proprietor of the ''Journal de la littérature et d ...

, future editor of ''

Le Nain jaune ''Le Nain jaune'' ("The Yellow Dwarf") was a satirical political journal of liberal tendencies, in opposition to the Imperial policies of Napoleon, that was published in Paris, starting in 1814. The magazine ceased publication in 1815. The title ...

'' under the restoration. He published several literary works, including ''Les Comédiens sans le savoir'', a novel by

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

in 1846.''Histoire du texte'', La Pleiade, t. VII, . ''Le Courrier français'' was a Liberal daily paper founded in 1820 that appeared until 1851, with contributions from

François Guizot François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848. A conservative liberal who opposed the a ...

Charles de Rémusat Charles François Marie, Comte de Rémusat (, 13 March 1797 – 6 June 1875), was a French politician and writer. Biography He was born in Paris. His father, Auguste Laurent, Comte de Rémusat, whose family came from Toulouse, was chamberlai ...

and Achille de Salvandy.Larousse encyclopédique, . The modern ''Courrier français'' is a regional weekly that covers a dozen departments in the southwest quarter of France (Charente, Charente-maritime, Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonne, Vienne, Vendée and Loire-Atlantique) with the title ''Écho de l'Ouest/Courrier français''. The title is published by the group of the same name, headquartered in Bordeaux.

References

Notes Citations Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Courrier francais, Le 1884 establishments in France 1914 disestablishments in France Defunct literary magazines published in France French-language magazines Magazines established in 1884 Magazines disestablished in 1914 Weekly magazines published in France