While the most varied theories exist about the the exact origin of the French Bulldog, the most prevalent opinion is that it originates from the miniature or toy bulldog brought to France by the Nottingham lace workers during the industrial revolution and economic crisis in England.Why precisely these smaller bulldogs became very popular amongst the workers in the Nottingham lace industry in the first place is not very clear but speculations are that these little bulldogs were in fact "culls" of the established Bulldog Breeders in England, who were generally more than happy to sell these undersized examples of their breed to fanciers of the "new" Toy breed in England.

Speculations about a more ancient origin mention artwork and skeletal finds of the ancient Indian dog, known as the Chincha Bulldog, which lived in ancient Peru and resembles the French Bulldog to a striking degree.Excavations of the burial grounds of Ancon in central Peru of mumified bodies of dogs, skulls and skeletons indeed confirmed that bulldog-like dogs lived in Peru from 1100 to 1400 AD. In 1937 Professor Richard N. Wagner and Max Hilzheimer studied Peruvian mumified dogs and excavated skeletons.

They found that the Chincha Bulldog's skull had many similarities to the skull and anatomy of the French Bulldog. About the only difference the scientists could find was that the cranium of the Chincha Bulldog was pear shaped, not spherical like the frenchie. However, the gap in the French bulldog' history from these ancient times until the English Industrial Revolution has not been filled in yet by breed historians.

What role did the English Industrial revolution play in the French Bulldog's history? Well, the many economic crises of the 19th century and the industrial production of textiles had made life in England very difficult to the artesan producers, like the Nottingham lace workers. From about 1850 to 1860 the English textile and clothing industries were in a turmoil, machinery was replacing man. Cottage industries in the English Midlands were being abandoned.The lacemakers of Nottingham who worked by hand no longer had jobs. By the 1850s - 1860s Nottingham in England also was a great centre for English Bulldogs including the toy or miniature bulldogs.

When many of the lace workers of Nottingham moved to France to seek work, more specifically to the Calais area, they took their smaller bulldogs with them. The miniature bulldogs were perfectly suited to the new, cramped, living conditions in the apartments and small houses the workers lived in, and also because they were excellent ratters, the plague of that century. It soon became the star of working class Parisian society. Its physique, small size, peculiar physiognomy and enchanting personality made it the darling of fanciers of flatfaced dogs.

As the new, smaller Bulldogs gained popularity in France, they became favourites of the Parisian "Belles De Nuit" ("Ladies of the Night"), the courtesans, who kept it for its excentric appearance. It was during this period that the upper classes, through their coachmen and bordellos, began to discover and fall under the charm of this small dog with its persuasive and at times disturbing look.