Arthur Meyer

Vocation

Notable

Family

French press baron, known as director of Le Gaulois, a notable conservative French daily newspaper that was eventually taken over by Le Figaro (run by François Coty at the time) in 1929. Meyer was a royalist, an unusual personality, and a key player at the crossroads of society life, the press and politics under the French Third Republic. In 1881, Meyer had the idea, along with Alfred Grévin, to represent the personalities that made the front page of the news section as wax mannequins, which allowed visitors – in an era before photography was used in the press – to put a face to the names in the news. This was the beginning of the Musée Grévin, which opened its doors on 5 June 1882 and swiftly became successful. Meyer married Mlle de Turenne, a young aristocrat, in 1904 – a marriage that came relatively late in his life. Meyer died on 2 February 1924 in Paris at age 79. Link to Wikipedia biography