Georges Goursat (1863–1934)

Georges Goursat (1863–1934), known as Sem, was a French caricaturist famous during the Belle Époque. Georges Goursat was born and raised in an upper-middle-class family from Périgueux. The wealth inherited from his father at the age of 21 allowed him to sustain a gilded youth.In 1888 he self published in Périgueux his first three albums of caricatures, signing some as "SEM", allegedly as a tribute to Amédée de Noé who signed his caricatures for Le Monde illustré as "Cham".From 1890 to 1898, he settled for a few years in Bordeaux. During this period, he published more albums and his first press caricatures in La Petite Gironde  and discovered the work of Leonetto Cappiello. His style matured, becoming both simpler and more precise.During the same period, he made trips to Paris. In 1891, he designed two posters printed in the workshop of Jules Chéret (Figure, right) for the singer Paulus.  He published his first carica