L'Œil de la police

L'Œil de la police was a French weekly magazine dedicated to crime stories, founded in January 1908 by the publisher Jules Tallandier under the imprint "Librairie populaire et moderne." It was published every Wednesday, with its first issue appearing on 25 January 1908. The magazine was subtitled "publication nationale ; romans de détectives et de police ; faits dramatiques, événements passionnels ou tragiques ; les drames de l'amour, les drames de la vie, les drames de la mort." It followed the model of Les Faits-Divers illustrés, founded in 1905, and was aimed at a popular readership. Each issue had twelve pages and cost 10 centimes; only the first and last pages were in full color, while the rest were in black and white. The cover illustration, often unsigned and bearing the mark of the Crété printing house, depicted violent crimes or accidents. The last page offered a panorama of crime news in France and abroad through small vignettes, sometimes signed by Raoul Thomen. The interior included a brief international news roundup, four serial novel extracts (usually by authors from the Tallandier stable), summaries of the week's crime stories, and court reports. The magazine placed itself under the auspices of law enforcement and the justice system. Its covers were designed for maximum visual impact, relying on two regular illustrators, Raoul Thomen and Henry Steimer. The masthead was particularly effective, and the eye motif was also used by fortune-tellers and detective agencies. After a few issues, the magazine announced it was intended for adults. The penultimate page contained coded advertisements, including those for women experiencing a "delay" and wishing to consult; throughout the periodical there were reminders to participate in various contests and promises of gifts (cheap jewelry, illustrated popular books). The magazine targeted a decidedly popular readership. The final issue, titled "Réjouissances tragiques," appeared just before the outbreak of World War I. In total, 340 issues were published. The magazine disappeared in July 1914.

L'Œil de la police was founded in January 1908 by the publisher Jules Tallandier, who operated behind the imprint "Librairie populaire et moderne" and various names (A. Chatelain, J. Fouqué, etc.), a front actually registered at the address of the Librairie illustrée, 10 rue Saint-Joseph in Paris, the seat of his house. The magazine broadly took up the principle of Les Faits-Divers illustrés, founded in 1905: it also had twelve pages and cost only 10 centimes, but only pages 1 and 12 were in full color, the others in black. Similarly, the cover illustration was unsigned (bearing the mark of the Crété printing house) and adopted a bloody style, expressing in most cases a violent news item: accident or crime; the last page was also a panorama of crime news in France and abroad in the form of small vignettes sometimes signed by Raoul Thomen; finally, the interior consisted of a brief roundup of international news, four extracts of serial novels (generally authors from the Tallandier stable), to which were added summaries of the week's news items and assize court reports. L'Œil de la police, at least in its beginnings, placed itself under the auspices of the forces of order and the judicial apparatus. Designed to trigger maximum visual impact, the covers relied on the work of two regular illustrators, Raoul Thomen and Henry Steimer. The masthead was particularly effective; the eye was also declined (it was used for the brands of fortune-tellers and other detective agencies, and no doubt inspired by them). After a few issues, the magazine announced that it was intended for adults. The penultimate page grouped, in veiled terms, a certain number of advertisements, including those intended for women subject to a "delay" and wishing to consult; throughout the periodical appeared reminders to participate in various contests as well as the promise of gifts (cheap jewelry, large-audience illustrated books). The magazine targeted a resolutely popular readership. The last issue, titled "Réjouissances tragiques," came out just before the outbreak of the First World War. There were 340 in all. The magazine disappeared in July 1914.

• First issue published on 25 January 1908.

• Final issue, titled "Réjouissances tragiques," published just before World War I; magazine disappeared in July 1914.

Popular weekly crime magazine under the auspices of law enforcement and justice.

• L'Œil de la police weekly issues

  Twelve-page weekly magazine, 10 centimes per issue, with color covers and crime stories.

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3. 3L'Œil de la policewikidata.org
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