ABSTRACT
Appearing in the middle of the eighteenth century and rapidly proliferating at the end of the Old Regime, the affiches were largely forgotten during the Revolution. With attention riveted on the political news from the capital, papers produced in Paris dominated local productions centered on commerce and provincial information. When the local press expanded, it mimicked the national press, not the affiches. In this environment, many affiches ceased to exist altogether. Late to arrive, early to expire, the affiches have been forgotten even by historians. Scholarship on the press, mainly undertaken by historians interested in politics or literature, has often ignored these periodicals with their reputation as advertising.
