Le Sourire

It was in part inspired by the more successful Parisian periodical Le Rire, illustrated by artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec.

Due to a limited budget, and the fact that they were hand printed, the quality of the reproductions was often poor and blotchy, he used cheap glue to bind the leaves to the paper.

A second version of Le Sourire began on 25 August 1899 under the operation of Maurice Mery, who had experience with art review journals and newspapers.

Le Sourire suspended publishing with the advent of the First World War, but resumed on 14 April 1917 with Rudolphe Bringer at the helm.

The revived magazine was known as Le Sourire de France and had more risque content, frequently featuring covers with pin-up style art and jokes.