Emulating "The Penny Magazine", Édouard Charton Launches "Magasin Pittoresque" in Paris

Emulating Charles Knight's The Penny Magazine, on February 9, 1833 Édouard Charton published the first issue of Magasin Pittoresque in Paris. Sharing Knight's intention of educating the masses, Charton copied the two-column 8-page format of The Penny Magazine, and also included wood engraved illustrations, some of which were probably supplied as stereotype plates by The Penny Magazine.

During its second year of publication Magasin Pittoresque published brief articles about elements of paper production, typefounding, proof-correcting, and in issue nunber 48, pp. 383-384, published a brief article on their Cowper & Applegath two cylinder perfecting machine imported from England to print the magazine. This press was very similar to the presses used in London by William Clowes to print The Penny Magazine.

Magasin Pittoresque appeared weekly at "deux sous par livraison" for eighteen years. When taxes on magazines for this kind were increased in July 16, 1850, the magazine converted to monthly publication, and later bimonthly. Remarkably, Magasin pittoresque continued to be published until 1938.