Philipon, C. 1832. Woodcut. From Le Charivari, Jan 17, 1834. Prints Division, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation, New York Public Library. (Source: Shikes, R. E., 1969, The Indignant Eye: The Artist as Social Critic in Prints and Drawings from the Fifteenth Century to Picasso, Beacon Press, Boston).

The Pears

According to Shikes (p 150). the author of this cartoon, Charles Philipon, established in France two weekly political newspapers in the 1830s with which to "wage editorial war" on French governments. One of the newspapers was called La Caricature and in the above spread it lives up to its name as Philipon makes fun of the shape of the head of 'citizen king', Louis-Philippe - 'plum pear' was a slang term for a simpleton or a dope.