"Le Figaro" was founded as a satirical weekly in 1826, taking its name and motto from "Le Mariage de Figaro", the 1778 play by Pierre Beaumarchais that poked fun at privilege. Its motto, from Figaro's monologue in the play's final act, is ""Sans la liberté de blâmer, il n'est point d'éloge flatteur"" ("Without the freedom to criticise, there is no true praise"). In 1833, editor Nestor Roqueplan fought a duel with a Colonel Gallois, who was offended by an article in "Le Figaro", and was wounded but recovered. Albert Wolff, Émile Zola, Alphonse Karr, Théophile Gautier, and Jules Claretie were among the paper's early contributors. It was published somewhat irregularly until 1854, when it was taken over by Hippolyte de Villemessant.