Besides my interest in actual helmet diving I also started, a few years ago, collecting helmet diving illustrations. The quest led to different sources and my collection grew. Most of them were British. Famous are those of the Tay Bridge disaster and the illustrations sold by the Siebe Gorman factory.

My desire to collect grew when I found my first Petit Journal. These are the beautiful illustrations printed since 1880. Petit Parisien has alo printed similar illustrations. The French press has its own style, the illustrations are dramatised and show drowned body’s, often women and children. They also show the courage and dedication of the helmetdivers. And chauvinsime, that word must be invented by the French!!! The illustrations were accompanied by text that I have translated for you. In case the text was too long I felt free to cut the text.

My friend Vincent Roc Roussey, also a helmet diver enthousiast, has examined the history of the Petit Journal. With this information this update starts.

Let your imagination take you to the days long past, the days when heroism was followed by tragedy. The days where undaunted helmetdivers battled great seamonsters en with great peril to himself rescued victims of disasters.

This is just a small part of the total published illustrations. Vincent and I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.

Kees de Jonge, The Netherlands.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PETIT JOURNAL

The most popular and cheapest of the dailies; "le Petit Journal" published every week an illustrated supplement which costed five cents. This great imagery is often kept in the modest families attics because it contained a lot of news items about important and noteworthy events. By reading the newspaper one became familiar with news around the whole world, as it itself continues today through the television.

It was with the"Petit Journal" that the French press knew her golden age. The "Petit Journal" was the more celebrated among similar newspapers: created in 1863, it was the first daily newspaper in the world to reach a million copies (in 1890) before being passed by the "Petit Parisien" , who beat all the records on its turn: 2 million copies in 1915.

BIRTH OF THE PETIT JOURNAL:

1863

Two brothers; Moîse Polydore and Alphonse Millaud, respectively banker and bookseller started this newspaper. The two brothers decided to run a big popular daily without preconceived ideas. The first number that appeared was published in 38.000 copies.

1870

This concept worked: the newspaper told histories and news to a new public, the public of the lower class that had just learned to read and don't have the opportunity to use a library like the higher class. That’s what made the Petit Journal better than the other: it was a great success because they had the following device:

What was necessary for this popular clientele? "Not philosophy nor ideas but sensation"

The readers of the "Petit Journal Illustré" became aware of all that happened, with a feeling of proudness for all those heroes coins sailors, a bit unreal to the progressive development of an imaginary history of the diving.

1871

With 200.000 copies sold daily, the "Petit Journal" is without doubt a great success: but this year also marks the death of co-founder Moîse Polydore.

1884

The first illustrated supplement of the "Petit Journal" appears. This started a new habit: one pulls the supplement and glued them on the cardboard. It was framed and in the whole French countryside these small works of art could be found.

1944

Accused of collaboration with the Germans, the newspaper stopped appearing.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

General history of the press French / Claude bellanger, Jacques godechot, Pierre Guiral and Fernad terrou: PUF 1972

The novel of the Daily / Anne gets married Thiesse / ed the green chemein 1984

Vincent Roc Roussey.

Voorwoord

Vanuit mijn interesse voor het duiken met de koperen helm ben ik een aantal jaren geleden op zoek gegaan naar illustraties over helmduikers. De speurtocht leidde naar diverse bronnen in binnen- en buitenland met als gevolg een steeds groter wordende verzameling duikillustraties. Deze waren grotendeels afkomstig uit Engeland. Bekende Engelse illustraties zijn onder andere de Tay Bridge disaster en de prenten uitgebracht door de Siebe Gorman fabriek.

Het verzamelen begon pas echt nadat ik mijn eerste illustratie uit Petit Journal vond. De Petit Journal en Petit Parisien zijn oude Franse kranten die sinds eind 1800 zijn gedrukt. Deze stonden boordevol illustraties, zowel in zwart-wit als in kleur.

De Franse pers heeft een geheel eigen stijl; vaak zijn de illustraties dramatisch uitgebeeld en voorzien van verdronken lichamen, vaak vrouwen en zelfs kinderen. Ook tonen de illustraties de heldenmoed en toewijding waarover de helmduikers beschikten…. En het woord chauvenisme, dat moet wel door een Fransman uitgevonden zijn!!! De illustraties waren voorzien van commentaar en deze artikelen heb ik, voor zover het tekstueel gezien niet te veel was, voor u vertaald. De oorspronkelijke tekst is zoveel mogelijk gehandhaafd.

Mijn vriend Vincent Roc Roussey, eveneens een helmduikfanaat, heeft de taak op zich genomen onderzoek te doen naar de geschiedenis van deze krant. Met deze informatie start deze update.

Laat uw verbeelding zijn gang gaan en verplaats u naar de vorige eeuw, de tijd waarin heldendaden en tragedie elkaar in snel tempo opvolgden. De tijd waarin de onverschrokken helmduikers vochten met levensgrote zeemonsters en met gevaar voor eigen leven slachtoffers van scheepsrampen naar de oppervlakte brachten.

Ik wens u veel lees- en kijkplezier toe.

Kees de Jonge

Continue to part 2

• Last edited on 4th May 2006