Léon Kern

Born in Paris, Léon Kern published his first work in La Caricature in 1902. He subsequently contributed to Le Journal Pour Tous, Le Bon Vivant, Pages Folles, Le Rire and La Victoire. As a comic artist, he was present in the children's magazines of publisher Arthème Fayard from the start, including La Jeunesse Illustrée (1903) and Les Belles Images (1904). In his coloured comic pages, Kern sometimes uses speech balloons, which was still unusual at the time. Around 1938 he drew comic pages like 'Les Aventures de la Famille Pouic' for Dimanche Illustré.

Kern is however best known for his burlesque and biting carictures and cartoons, that appeared in L'Echo de Paris, Ric et Rac, Marius and Marianne. During the War, he contributed to magazines like Au Pilori, Demain and Le Mérinos, which were under German supervision. In the years before his death, he contributed to magazines like La Presse and Bolero.