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Les Hommes d'aujourd'hui, 268

n°268

Periodical

Author

Person cited Jean Moréas
Drawings by Émile Cohl

Description

The collection of Les Hommes D'Aujourd'hui was founded in September 1878 by André Gill and Félicien Champsaur. The journal was first published by Cinqualbre (until 1883), then by Léon Vanier after two years of interruption. The last publication appeared in 1899. André Breton posessed 27 numbers of the collection.

The revue was originally inspired by the successful journal, Le Bulletin de vote, published in collaboration with the journalist Maxime Rude which was a collection of illustrated biographies, promoting the republican candidats in the legislative elections of October 1877. The collection of Les Hommes d'aujourd'hui strays from militant politics; each number (containing 4 pages) is devoted to a different contemporary figure belonging to the world of arts, literature or science. A colorful portrait of the spotlight celebrity is on each cover, followed by three pages of text. Written in jest, the texts are composed of contemporaneous and fantastic elements, and are sometimes complemented by citations from the featured author.

When Léon Vanier took over the publication in 1885, he would finalize the element of caracature for the series (André Gill and Henri Demare were the consecutive authors of the first portraits).

Among the graphic artists were Collignon and Toqueville. The duo signed under the pseudonym, "Coll-Toc". Émile Cohl signed the portrait of the poet, Jean Moréas, to whom number 268 of the collection is devoted.