Silvestre had a successful official career, was decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1886, and in 1892, was made inspector of fine arts.

Some of his poems were set to music by Gabriel Fauré, under the form of mélodies for one voice and piano (Le Secret, L'Automne...).

[1] Silvestre's poem Jours Passés was set in music by Léo Delibes under the title Regrets.

[2] His volumes of verse include: The poet was also a contributor to Gil Blas and other Parisian journals, distinguishing himself by the licence he permitted himself.

To these "absences" from poetry, as Henri Chantavoine calls them, belong the seven volumes of La Vie pour rire (1881–1883), Contes pantagruéliques et galants (1884), Le Livre des joyeusetés (1884), Gauloiseries nouvelles (1888), &c. An account of his varied and somewhat incongruous production is hardly complete without mention of his art criticism.