The Politics of Sex, Race and Working-Class Slang in Late Second Empire French Caricature (1) (Routledge Research in Art and Politics)

Synopsis

This study examines caricatures as they appeared within popular Parisian magazines in mid-19th century France at the time of the 1867 World’s Fair. Chapters compare the comic mockery of several of the most important satirists of this time, including Amédée de Noé, or “Cham” (1818–1879) as he was more popularly known, and Honoré Daumier (1808–1879). A major theme within the analysis is how these caricaturists secretly used argot (street slang), as documented in two slang dictionaries by Parisian litterateur, Alfred Delvau (1825–1867), within their comic images to carry hidden encrypted messages in order to evade the censorship of the day. The book focuses primarily on caricatures of Chinese visitors who were part of the 1866 diplomatic visit to Paris and images of Chinese at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, showing how the satires which were published by Cham used argot to create highly sexualised images that were often racist in nature. In contrast, the volume proposes that Daumier used slang in his caricatures to challenge racism and to make secret reference to current political leaders and politics. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, media studies, and communication studies.

Copyright:

2026

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

244 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781040392720

Related ISBNs:

9781040392645, 9781032897127, 9781003558095

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Date of Addition:

08/11/25

Copyrighted By:

Russell James Stephens, The right of Russell James Stephens to be identified as the author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with sections

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.