He began by studying medicine, but by 1863, he started writing for Étienne Carjat's Le Boulevard.

Soon thereafter, he joined the weekly Le Figaro; he wrote for it and other publications of Hippolyte de Villemessant for the rest of his career.

[1] In particular, under the pseudonym Jean de Paris, he wrote a daily column called "Un conseil par jour, guide pratique de la vie usuelle" 'A tip every day; a practical guide for everyday life'.

In particular, he interviewed Jules Verne for his Profils intimes,[2] and wrote an introduction to any early English translation of Around the World in Eighty Days.

[3] The Empress Eugénie had him document the news of the Court in the Moniteur universel.