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| Robert Macaire and Le Charivari |
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(19 Jan 2005) |
Honore Daumier ( 1808 - 1879 ) was a French painter and sculptor but is now noted as the pre-eminent caricaturist of the 19th century . In the late 1820s he learnt the fairly new process of lithography and in 1830 contributed political cartoons to the republican, anti government weekly Caricature.
Daumier was an ardent republican and in 1832 was imprisoned for representing Louis - Philippe as Gargantua swallowing bags of gold extorted from the people. Political satire was suppressed in France in 1835 and in consequence Daumier turned to satire of social life in the daily Le Charivari; the first newspaper to be illustrated with lithographs.
In Charivari Daumier depicted a series of humorous scenes which gave a vivid and critical view of France's social classes in transition. Amongst these series was one satirizing businessmen personified in the character of Robert Macaire, an unscrupulous, flattering swindler and profiteer. Originally 100 lithographs of Robert Macaire appeared in Charivari between August 1836 and November 1838 followed by a second series between October 1840 and September 1842.
The character of Robert Macaire had first appeared in 1823 in a now largely forgotten melodrama called L' Auberge des andrets.
The role of Robert Macaire was acted by one Frederick Lemaitre and later, in 1834, he adapted the character of Macaire within a new comic play in which two unscrupulous scoundrels trick each other. The reworked comedy was a smash hit in Paris and in turn gave Charles Philipon, the founder of Charivari, and Daumier the idea of making Robert Macaire the central character in their social satire. |
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