The station opened on 28 April 1935. It takes its name from the optical telegraph which was invented by Claude Chappe (1763 - 1805) in 1792 and installed on a nearby hill.
The station is situated on the border of the 19th and 20th arrondissements. It is served by the metro line 11.
The station name is stencilled in white capital letters on blue rectangular tiles.
The sign has a white ceramic tile frame.
Underneath it is a plan of the metro with its zones.
As the station is built in 20m depth and in unstable soil, the two platforms have been separated and the central wall is used for additional support. They have some archways to allow authorised access.
The walls and vaulted ceiling are tiled.
Advertising boards in light brown ceramic frames with a wheat pattern can be seen on both walls. They have additional decoration in the top corners and the top of the frame.
Flourescent tubes are in silver metal encasings, hanging above the edge of the platform.
The edge of the platform is marked with a white thick line and a row of grey tiles with raised circles.
The rest of the ground is painted grey.
The yellow, semi-bowl shaped metal seats are fixed on a silver bar located on the wall under one of the advertising boards. They have a slit, making them look like smilies.