Tuesday 1 February 2011

La Caricature

"The first quarter of the 19th century in France was a turbulent time. Napoleon had just been defeated, and the war between the Royalists and Republicans had begun anew with fresh vigor. Charles X, after an attempt to restore the absolutism of the old French monarchy and put an end to the freedom of press, had been forced to abdicate in the July Revolution of 1830. The “citizen-king” Louis-Philippe was elected to take his place. All this political turmoil, plus the new technique of lithography led to the birth of a new popular art form: the political caricature." [source]