Cover of the French erotic men's magazine La Vie parisienne from 1918
La Vie Parisienne (the Parisian life) was a French weekly magazine founded in Paris in 1863 and was published without interruption until 1970. It was popular at the start of the 20th century.
History
Originally it covered novels, sports, theater, music and the arts. The magazine was a supporter of the new Impressionist movement.[1]
In 1905 the magazine changed hands and the new editor Charles Saglio changed its format to suit the modern reader. It soon evolved into a mildly risqué erotic publication. During World War I, General Pershing personally warned American servicemen against purchasing the magazine, which boosted its popularity in the United States.
La Vie Parisienne was hugely successful because it combined a new mix of subjects—short stories, veiled gossip and fashion banter, also comments about subjects from love and the arts to the stock exchange—with beautiful cartoons and full-page color illustrations by leading artists of the age. Alongside this the magazine also reflected the changing interests and values of the start of the 20th century population such as fashion and frivolity.
The artwork of La Vie parisienne reflected the stylization of Art Nouveau and Art Deco illustration, mirroring the aesthetic of the age as well as the values, and this coupled with the intellectualism, wit and satire of its written contributions was a combination that proved irresistible to the French public.
Langley, A.; Gracier, A. (2005). "La Vie Parisienne: A Naughty French Magazine". The Great War in a Different Light: Accounts and Galleries from Great War Books and Magazines. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
