The artist known as SEM was Georges Goursat (1863-1934). Born in the Dordogne, France, he was drawn to study art in Paris. Sem contributed to many newspapers and journals and made several folios looking at members of society and their amusements. He gained success through his reputation for capturing the spirit of the subject and Paris at the turn of the century. He was a member of the Salon des Humoristes and an officer of the Legion of Honour. These prints are part of his ‘Album de Sem’ published in Paris c.1910. Feaver (1981) p. 128; Lambourne (1983) pp. 34-5.