Le Figaro is the leading French morning daily newspaper. The Parisian paper was founded in 1825, and named for Rossini's Barber of Seville. By 1866 it had become France's leading paper in circulation: on November 6, 1866, the first daily edition of Le Figaro saw 56,000 daily copies. Albert Wolff, Emile Zola, Jules Claretie wrote in the early issues of the newspaper.
In 1922 Le Figaro was purchased by perfume millionaire Francois Coty. In 1975 Le Figaro was bought by Robert Hersant, who had founded the rightist political party Jeune Front in 1940, and was jailed for collaboration with the Nazis, but forgiven in the general amnesty of 1952.
