Literature and Advertising in Arts et Métiers graphiques

The literary texts that opened every issue of Arts et métiers graphiques (1927-1939) functioned as advertisements for the companies that produced the magazine - advertising in the form of samples of new techniques, typefaces, or types of paper. The use of a text by a famous author added cultural value to these samples. In that case, the text's literary function appears secondary to its advertising function. Nevertheless, the editors also aspired to renew literary publishing, so that the book remained in tune with innovations in typography and new media, and the lead articles demonstrated how a text or a book could do so. For Arts et métiers graphiques, the two functions of the articles de tête were not irreconcilable. To many editors, commerce and culture were intimately connected. Moreover, both functions of the opening texts (advertising a product and being best practices for literary publishing) were part of the central mission of Arts et métiers graphiques: the defence and illustration of the graphic arts, and their constant improvement.