Early Modern (1450 CE - 1800 CE)
A Democrat, or Reason and Philosophy
This cartoon by the popular British caricaturist James Gillray depicts the British politician Charles James Fox as a sans–culotte. Wearing a cockade in his wig and a bandage on his forehead, the unshaven Fox raises his bloody left hand as he lifts his left leg to break wind.
20 June 1791, Anonymous Drawing
In this depiction of the King’s arrest, the Queen risks her body to save her son, the crown prince.
Day of 10 August 1792
This engraving gives a ground–eye view of the action; far from an orderly operation, the "day" appears chaotic and menacing, as the inspired people face what appear to be cannons being fired by royal soldiers. This romantic image would become the predominant view of this event.
"The Song of the End": The Whole World Now Chases Him
Where Napoleon was once the conqueror, the world now avenges itself. This sense of reversal, felt widely outside of France, characterized a number of the caricatures of Napoleon, and indeed of the entire Revolution.
The Little Cartesian Devil
The reversal of circumstances that German cartoonists emphasized seemed generally to exercise considerable sway over this use of symbols. Here, Napoleon, who strode so large over Europe, is bottled and examined.
The Great Man
German cartoonists tried to reduce Napoleon down to size, in this case, the size of mice! Here the mice serve as courtiers.
The Great Heroism of the Nineteenth Century
As in other caricatures, foreigners tried to humiliate Napoleon, once again using mice to represent those who would now attend him.
The Exorcism: Ridding France of the Devil Napoleon
The seal in the foreground, with its fleur–de–lys, indicates a return to royalism after France’s liberation from Napoleon. In addition, the secularism associated with the Revolution is countered with the image’s reference to the religious practice of exorcism.
His Monument: Napoleon's Past and Future Are FIlled With Dead Bodies
This Janus–like figuration of Napoleon haunts the viewer as it suggests a future filled with skulls. Indeed, the unprecedented deaths from war and conquest of the last two centuries make this image seem predictive.
Celebrating Napoleon's Birthday on the Island of St. Helena
In this cartoon, Napoleon is portrayed as a buffoon, riding a goat in a charge against rodents, mocking his warlike instincts.