Victorin Jasset was born to a pair of innkeepers[1] in Fumay in the Ardennes region of France in 1862, and after studying painting and sculpture with Dalou, he began a career designing theatre costumes and as a decorator of fans.

[4] Following another short period working for the small Raleigh & Robert company, Jasset returned to Éclair and travelled to North Africa to produce a series of fiction films and documentaries in Tunisia, taking advantage of its natural light and spectacular locations such as the ruins of Carthage.

[6] In 1911 he made Zigomar, taking his title character from the popular newspaper and magazine stories of Léon Sazie [fr] about a master-criminal.

[7] In 1912 Jasset turned from fantasy and spectacle to realism in making a Zola adaptation, as part of Éclair's new series of social dramas.

Le Capitaine Fracasse (1909) was a literary adaptation from Théophile Gautier; Journée de grève (1909) a documentary; Hérodiade (1910) a biblical-historical spectacle.

These variously developed the roles of the resourceful detective, the master-criminal, and the mysterious woman of action who had previously appeared in Jasset's Nick Carter, Zigomar and Protéa films.