Caricature of Abdul-Hamid in the Le Rire Magazine

Le Rire (French: “Laughter”) was a famous French magazine published in Paris from 1894 to 1950 and for a short time in the 1970s.

Le Rire is considered one of the most successful Parisian satirical publications. The magazine covered the main events of art and culture, as well as did not bypass politics, ridiculing corruption and abuse of power. Many politicians and influential officials have become subjects of the magazine’s satirical epigrams.

The Le Rire magazine was beautifully illustrated. The cover of each issue was decorated on both sides with color chromolithographs. Its pages were illustrated with black and white caricatures and drawings. Over the years, many talented caricaturists, poster designers, and artists have worked in Le Rire, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

The mass pogroms and murders of Armenians in 1894-1896 unleashed by Sultan Abdul-Hamid II were widely reflected in the world press, including many English, Russian, French, and American magazines. The Le Rire magazine was one of them – in May 1897, a caricature of the “Bloody Sultan” was published on the cover of one of its issues.

Hripsime Galstyan