What did Jules Verne eat? Where did Emile Zola sleep? What did Alexandre Dumas fils do in his free time? This illustrated lecture brings to life the private activities of French celebrities of the Belle Epoque as they were recorded in early examples of photojournalism. While interviews with the leading figures of 1890s Paris may seem, at first glance, mere vanity pieces published to titillate readers and spread gossip, they also provide valuable perspective on the importance of sociability for the creative process.