... made them a fashionable way for the well to do classes to show off how daring they could be, and they soon became favourites of the "artistic" set across Europe, often being depicted in brothels by artist of that day, like Degas and Toulouse Lautrec in his picture "Le Marchand des Marrons"(1897).
Mistinguette, Colette, Mac Orland, King Edward VII with his dog Peter in England, count among the more notable fans of the breed.
Photos dating from around this time show the Russian Royal family posing with their French Bulldogs.  They were said to have imported several of the little dogs from France.  In Austria, Germany and of course the USA the breed began to acquire more and more popularity.

American tourists discovered the little French Bulldog and began bringing them home.  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.

It is inarguable that without the influence of these dedicated, turn of the century American fanciers the breed would not be what it is today.
The French Bulldog first appeared in the United States in 1896 at the Westminster Kennel Club's show in New York.  He soon became known as "Frenchie," a name that stuck with him.
Even though he looked at first sight as a minituare bulldog, his bat-like ears, held erect, the flat skull between the ears, his small size and his activeness set him apart from the Bulldog.
He had a lively expression and a disposition described by some as roguish and fun loving . He's been referred to as "a clown in the cloak of a philosopher."

The American fanciers of the breed organised the very first French Bulldog Club in the world, and insisted on the fact that the "bat" ear so associated with the breed today should be considered the correct form.
Until that time, French Bulldogs were shown with either the "bat" or "rose" ear. Indeed, in 1897, exhibitors, disappointed because an English judge picked a Frenchie with rose ears for his best of breed, called a meeting and formed the French Bull Dog Club of America (the first breed club for French Bulldogs in the world) and the next year adopted a standard which remains essentially unchanged today.