In the first half of the 19th century, the mass-market newspapers of France’s petite presse had a special connection with vaudeville. Often sharing the same set of characters, both became humorous echo chambers reflecting political and social issues of the day, in the tradition of the original vaudeville genre. Marking another point of convergence, the petit journal format was presented as a “paper theatre” offering a wealth of scenic microforms (dialogues, sketches and revues) whose content often intersected with that of vaudeville. From Daumier to Banville, the petite presse drew its iconic representations from the carnival spirit of fairground shows and the boulevard du Temple’s street artists. Lastly, vaudeville and the petite presse also shared the experience of being overlooked, since they were both long considered to be lowbrow genres.