Despite their name, French Bulldogs were developed in England as miniature Bulldogs during the Industrial Revolution. Lace workers from Nottingham, who kept these small Bulldogs as companions and ratters, migrated to France for work in the mid-1800s and took their dogs with them.
In France, these English toy Bulldogs were crossed with local ratters and possibly Pugs, developing their distinctive bat ears (as opposed to the rose ears of English Bulldogs). They became wildly popular in Paris, especially among fashionable society, artists, and writers. Toulouse-Lautrec famously painted them, cementing their status as symbols of Parisian chic.
Americans visiting France in the late 1890s fell in love with the breed and brought them back to the US. The French Bulldog Club of America, formed in 1897, was the first breed club to join the AKC and championed the bat ear as the breed standard. Today, French Bulldogs are one of the most popular breeds worldwide, beloved for their adaptability to apartment living and entertaining personalities.