La Calotte

La Calotte is a French illustrated satirical anticlerical weekly publication, which appeared in France from 1906 to 1912. Afterwards the title was resumed from 1930 to the present day, with a change of name under the German occupation of France.

La Calotte (1906-1911)
It was founded in Paris by Louis Grenêche, a publisher, in the context of the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State, during the troubles caused by the Inventories. A powerful anticlerical wave then agitated France.

La Calotte appeared every week on 16 pages, half of which was illustrated with anti-clerical satirical drawings. The rest consisted of texts, songs, jokes, denouncing clericalism.

The designers were Saint-Fourien, Asmodée, A. Mac or Chérubin.

In its first issue of 14 September 1906, the editorial explains:"Vous pouvez vous rendre compte, chers lecteurs, de l’allure combattive de La Calotte. Nous n’avons qu’une arme : le rire, seule arme que redoutent les soldats de Tartuffe, c’est vous dire que nous ne manquerons pas d’ennemis qui chercheront à nous étouffer par tous les moyens. Si vous partagez notre avis, chers lecteurs, insistez auprès des kiosques et marchands de journaux, qui sont nos seuls vendeurs, afin qu’ils nous affichent en bonne place. Vous soutiendrez ainsi notre cause"

Resumption of title after 1930
Libertarian activist and free thinker André Lorulot took over this title in the 1930s. The designers who worked there were Armangeol (Armand Gros) who produced comic Bibles, satirical Lives of Jesus and History of the Popes illustrated with satirical drawings.

During the 1939-1945 war, La Calotte changed its title to La Vague, still under the direction of Lorulot, who stigmatized the ties between the Catholic Church and fascism. La Vague denounces antisemitism.

After the war La Calotte became the organ of La Libre Pensee. It was a monthly publication from November 1945 on.

After the death of André Lorulot, H. Perrodo-Le Moyne became its director (May 1963). He writes articles and draws under the signature of P. Le M.

The title still exists on subscription.

La Calotte of Marseille
Another satirical weekly of the same name was published in Marseilles, between 1897 and 1906, with a pause between 1903 and 1905.