'La Vie Parisienne'
A Naughty French Magazine
'La Vie Parisienne' was one of the more famous and well-known of specifically Parisienne magazines. Originally intended as a guide to the privileged social and artistic life in the French capital, it soon evolved into a mildly risqué publication in which illustrations of scantily clad damsels abounded. It was all done in very good taste though it had more than its fair share of detractors. General Pershing for one is said to have personally warned American servicemen against purchasing the magazine - for little good that would have done. 'La Vie Parisienne' was also banned in certain countries such as neighboring Belgium for instance, though in war-time it appeared that such silly regulations were not always adhered to.
The magazine was very popular and spawned a number of pre-war imitators, such as 'Le Sourire', 'Le Rire', 'Le Regiment', 'Fantasio' and others. As a source of erotica, 'la Vie Parisienne' was by far overshadowed by its (foreign) reputation. A reputation that was certainly undeserved, for apart from some slightly revealing drawings of lightly clad ladies or the occasional tastefully executed art-nouveau nude illustration, the magazine was not much more than a high class literary humor magazine. Supposedly infamous for its private advertisements, these small personal ads were seldom much more than classic lonely-hearts or marriage-seeking personals. The French war-time practice of 'Marraines' (Godmothers) 'adopting' soldiers at the front was in the eyes of some cause for potential scandalous behavior. 'La Vie Parinsienne' did indeed carry a disproportionately large number of such requests from lonely soldiers, several pages being regularly devoted to Allied soldiers' search for a French 'Marraine'.
From 1914 to 1918 the contents of the magazine reflected the spirit of the times : patriotism was very 'chic'. Here are several covers and drawings from 'La Vie Parisienne', some of them done by the talented artists Leonnec, Herourard and Fabiano. Franco-American unity was a favorite subject in 'La Vie Parisienne' as can be seen in many of the following illustrations.
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"L'autre, moins sérieux celui-ci, c'est 'la Vie Parisienne', le journal prohibé en Belgique en temps de paix! Que voulez-vous, les illustrations n'en sont peut-être pas bien remarquables toujours, mais elles apportent un petit je ne sais quoi de léger, de parfumé, de grivois qui jure avec la vie rude et brutale des hommes au front, et qui par contraste leur plaît. Que de petites femmes à la figure suprêmement insignifiante, aux petits bras bien rosés et bien ronds, aux épaules de cire, perdues dans d'éternelles dentelles, toujours animées d'un geste identique: une jambe en l'air, un manteau qui s'entr'ouvre; que de petites femmes, aux couleurs fades de fondants, sentant la crème et la pommade, sont venues s'épingler dans de sombres abris aux murs de sacs, au plancher de terre battue. Eh bien! le croiriez-vous, ces apparitions un peu sottes, toujours les mêmes, vous illuminent ces terriers humides et noirs, y apportent une odeur de boudoir de jolie femme, de coulisse de théâtre, de chambre à coucher... et le péché n'est pas bien grand d'ailleurs, puisque des aumôniers s'endorment sans rougir au milieu de ces évocations féminines."
A short charming description of 'la Vie Parisienne' from a text by Belgian author Jacques Pirenne, from his book 'Les Vainquers de l'Yser' 1917
- a French dug-out on the Somme with 'Vie Parisienne' pin-ups
