Introduction to French Caricature

In the beginning the the 19th Century English satire began to wane, making way for French caricature to begin to dominate. This coincides with the invention of lithographic printing, invented in 1798 by Alois Senefelder, the favored medium of French illustrators. During this period, France experienced varying levels of censorship from whatever regime was in charge, dictating shifts in subject matter. Under the "Acien Regime" caricature was purely social, while Napoleon wanted artists to create works that supported his policies. In 1830, France experienced a relative freedom of speech under the rule of Louis Philippe. This is the time that famous French caricaturists such as Honore Daumier flourished. Above is a print from another artist to become successful at this time, J.J. Grandville, noted for his zoomorphism.