[3] In 1855 he went to live in Nice, where he indulged his predilections for floriculture, and gave his name to more than one new variety, notably the dahlia (New International Encyclopedia).

[9][5] In 1839, Karr became editor of Le Figaro, to which he had been a constant contributor; and he also started a monthly journal, Les Guêpes (The Wasps), of a keenly satirical tone,[3] a publication which brought him the reputation of someone of "imperishable words" and biting wit.

Karr attempted to revive the publication of Les Guêpes from 1852–55, an undertaking doomed to failure given the conditions of state censorship (under the regime of Napoleon III).

[14][15] On the proposal to abolish capital punishment, he wrote: "je veux bien que messieurs les assassins commencent" (i.e., "let the gentlemen who do the murders take the first step").

[3] Karr is one of the French artists and writers caricatured by Benjamin Roubaud in his drawing Grand Chemin de la Postérité.

[16] Numerous roads have been named after him including: The Collège Alphonse Karr is in the resort town of Saint-Raphaël on the Côte d'Azur.