A Short History of the French Bulldog Breed

What has the  English Industrial revolution to do with French Bulldogs? A great deal, for it is our starting point.

From about 1850 to 1860 the English textile and clothing industries were in turmoil. Machinery was replacing man. Cottage industries in the English Midlands were being abandoned. The lace makers of Nottingham who worked by hand no longer had jobs.                                                                              

The Nottingham lace makers were welcomed with open arms to Brittany and Calais, during the time of the industrial revolution in the UK, where the old traditional work of lace making continued. Living conditions were cramped in the apartments and small houses in which workers lived

In the 1850's the miniature or toy Bulldogs became almost extinct in England.

The miniature bulldogs are thought to have been crossed with terriers and Pugs and the French Bulldog evolved. Lack of records has so far frustrated researchers of breed historians and it seems unlikely that more will emerge.

French Bulldogs became popular among the ladies of the night of Paris and then became a status symbol of French society.

Frenchies were owned by artists, businessmen, and aristocrats. Toulouse Lautrec and Degas painted pictures which included French Bulldog. Colette wrote stories about her beloved Frenchies.

The French Bulldog is one of only a few breeds which owes its existence to the efforts of breeders in different countries- France, America, England and Germany.

Certainly the continuance of the unique bat ears at the turn of the century was due largely to America and there was immense popularity for the Frenchie in America from a century ago and continuing for at least thirty years.

A famous owner of a French Bulldog  King Edward the V11