The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-02
ART OF CARICATURE
EVOLUTION AND INFLUENCE OF THE
NEWSPAPER CARTOON.

his eccentric attire that while serving
Of contempt on the face Of one Of the
courtiers present and determined to
avenge himself by serving process
upon him for appearance in court the
following day.
The offender, NJ. DC Lasson by name,
knowing that things would 20 hard
with him unless he could show some
reason for bis mirth, made a hasty
sketch Of the hunchback able, exag-
gerating in size the SIX black caps aud
the waistcoats in which he was wont
10 appear, aud when he was solemny
asked to show cause for his unReemiy
mirth and indiGnity to the holy church
he suddenly displayed before his judges
the caricatnrc of the able as his Eek
cuse The likeness was so excellent
and the cartoon so groteSque that the
entire court fell TO laughing. aud the
accused was liberated without a repri-
mand
This is the first authentic case Of the
power Of the cartoon in hall OF JUS
/ tice, but it illustrates the power OF the
pencil in depicting the follies OF the
foolish and the affectatIons Of the arti-
hcIal.
There is no telling when the art Of
caricature began. There are number
Of grotcsques that have come down 10
Us from earliest Egyptian times. The
Greeks employed pictures TO emphasize
their satire. and no did the Romans,
All through the middle ages there were
numberless examples OF "grotesque-
ries" which. curiousiy enough, were
used IN enforcing the doctrines OF the
church by means Of Satlrizing the devil.
But the eighteenth century was the
hevday Of the cartoon.
Beginning in France and overrunniDg
into Holland and thence across the
channel into England, the fiood Of carl
caturists carried everything before IL.
and ii is safe to say that We read the
history OF the times with clearer vision
and with more accuracy OF detail for
the mirror which caricaturists held up
to reflect the striking peculiariiies OF
the men and events passing before IL.
Gautier mentions q Spanish cartoon
list, Francisco Gaya Y Lucientes. mix
ture Of Rembran ndt. Vatican and Ra-
belais, who preceded the two great car
icaturis;s OF the latter half OF the
eighteenth century. George Cruikshank
in Engian nd and NJ. Charlet In France.
Charlet Is known as the father Of mod
eru social caricaiure and holds as good
title TO his position 50 does Philipau 10
that Of the father OF comic Journalism,
with lie Charivari. the strongest paper
Of its Kind. Then came Punch In Eng
land. which still retains Its subtitle of
the London charivarI. for years the
faithful If not the most highly polished
reflector OF British life. Upon Its stan
John Leech. Richard Doyle. John Fen.
MEL. George du MaurIer and dozen
men OF lesser name kept Great Britain
In good hurnor for two generations,
1t has been reserved for America.
however. 10 bring forth new race of
caricaturists. which for lack OF better
title may be called the personal car
toonists. men who seize upon the char
actefistics Of an individual and So CT.
aggerate them that the subjects 81 the
cartoons are known 10y the most promi.
nent features in their physical. mental
or moral makeup.
True there was one man in London
hundred years al 90. Gijlray by name.
who had this faculty Of dissecting his
subject until he found his weakest
point and then numerically pricking 1t
with his wing pencil, but with him
the race died out. 10 be reiDcarnated in
America. Gillray was close observer
of people and events, He would SIT in
his publishers window and watch the
fops of the court as they passed and
fasten in his memory every feature by
which a man would be recognized by
his acquainta noes. He remembered ev-
cry story that related TO the traits OF
character of those In the public eye.
and the St James street OF 1900 Ia
faithfully reproduced in his art
Perhaps we Americans look at the
droll side of life more than other peo-
pie, but certain ii Is we have more and
better cartoouSts than elsewhere. The
point of joke demands equal facility
in portra ying droIlcry in cartoon, We
sketch boldly and leave much OF the
unnecessary detail to our slower cous-
ns. Then, too, our public events hap
pen with such startling rapidity that
cartoon OF yesterdays doings would be
fiat today. and we nv keep very
much alive and be ready for political
change overnight.
In other words. the alert American
must have depicted in his cartoon the
very traits OF character that have made
him what he is, the quickest and
brightest of meu-Thomas Mast in
New York News.
ma rou..s,ou TOuRnR.