Illustrated Periodicals Part 2: French, German, and American Publications

Many publications were established in France during the time of Louis Philippe, when the country was experiencing a period of relatively light censorship. Charles Philipon is credited with creating a few papers, published in 1830, La Caricature the most prominent of them. La Caricature printed such artists as Daumer and Grandville, and would often attack the Louis Philippe through caricature.

This piece above is by Joseph Traveis. Artists in La Caricature often morphed Louis Philippe's head into a pear, it became the symbol for an overindulgent king. The above image actually got La Caricature into some legal trouble. While defending himself in court, Charles Philipon drew the below image, morphing Louis Philippe's head into a pear.

 

Another note worthy European publication is Simplicissimus, a German publication with Art Nouveau influences. 

 

First published in Munich in 1896, the periodical commented on aspects of German society and government that were disliked. Especially "boorish," upper-class military officers in the beginning.

In America, Harper's Weekly was the first illustrated periodical to really establish itself in the satirical realm. Established in 1857, the magazine would feature the cartoons of the previously mentioned Thomas Nast, including the ones that attacked Boss Tweed.

 

Similar to Harper's Weekly was Puck magazine. Like Harper's Weekly, Puck contained political satire, often involving Tammany Hall. Created in Germany years earlier and then brought into America by Joseph Keppler in 1876, Puck used lithographic printing, allowing for some of the images to be in color. Leading to the publication's success.

Image 1: La Caricature cover,19 June, 1886
Image 2: Cartoon by Joseph Traveis
Image 3: Cartoon by Charles Philipon
Image 4: Simlicissimus cover
Image 5: Cartoon from Simplicissimus
Image 6: Harper's Weekly cover
Image 7: Harper's Weekly cover
Image 8: Puck cover

American Caricature and Thomas Nast

 

The 19th century also saw a flood a caricature in America. Andrew Jackson was a popular figure to satirize because of his forthright personality and tendency to not hide from controversy. African Americans were a popular topic with the approaching civil war in 1861. Other topics that were popular in this century were Mormons and women. The 19th Amendment will be passed in 1920, allowing equal voting rights for women, and the century before, women's rights were a hot topic that satirists often approached.

Thomas Nast is probably the most prominent caricaturist in this time, he is even possibly responsible for inventing the elephant and the donkey as representative for the Republican and Democratic parties. 1862 Nast began producing representational, political cartoons for Harper’s Weekly. It was in this publication that he created caricatures of William Magear “Boss” Tweed and the rest of the grafters of Tammany Hall, the corrupt Democratic organization in New York City. These cartoons were highly influential because most of New York's population was still illiterate.

 Image 1: Thomas Nast caricature of Andrew Jackson
Image 2:  Thomas Nast, "The Tammany Ring-dom"
Image 3: Cover of Harper's Weekly, Thomas Nast, "The Only Thing They Respect of Fear"