The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-16
ART OF CARICATURE
EVOLUTION AND INFLUENCE OF TIE
NEWSPAPER CARTOON.

The Ancient Greeks, Romans ana
Egyptians Used GrOtesque Picturea
7 10 Emphasize Their Satire -- The
Eighteenth Century Craze.
The story 10 told of an able Of the
seventeenth century who was as de-
formed In figure as he was ridiculous
In dress, and as sensitive about his
physical deformity as he was vain of
his eccentric attire, that while serving
mass one morning he observed a smile
of contempt on the face of one of the
courtiers present and determined to
avenge himself by serving a process
upon him for appearance In court the
following day.
The offender. NJ. de Lass0n by name,
knowing that things would 40 hard
with him unless he could show some
reason for his mrth, made Il hasty
sketch Of the hunchback abbe, exag-
gerating In size the six black caps aud
the waistcoats in which he was wont
to appear, and when he was solemnly
asked to show cause for his unseemly
mirth and indignity to the holy church
he suddenly displayed before his judges
the caricature OF the able as his "ex-
cuse." The likeness was so excellent
and the cartoon SO grotesque that the
entire court fell to laughing and the
accused was liberated without repri.
mand.
te hn GrG Itth Ia ~ hA
power Of the cartoon in hall of jus
tice, but ii illustrates the power of the
pencil In depicting the follies of the
foolish and the affectations of the arti-
1icial.
There is no telling when the art Of
caricature began. There are number
Of grotesques that have come down to
us from earliest Egyptian times, The
Greeks employed pictures to emphasize
their satire, and so did the Romans.
All through the middle ages there were
numberless examples of ''grotesque
ries" which, curiousy enough. were
used in enforcing the doctrines of the
church by means of satirizing the devil.
Bot the eighteenth century was the
beyday Of the cartoon.
Beginning in France and overrunning
into Holland and thence across the
channel into England. the dood OF carl
caturists carried everything before 1t.
and il IL 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 reject the striking peculiarities OF
the men and events passing before II.
Gautier mentions a Spanish cartoon
iat, Fra ncisco Gaya y Lucientes, mix
ture Of Rembra ndt. Vatican aud Ra-
belais, who preceded the two great car
icaturists Of the latter half OF the
eighteenth century. George Cruikshank
In England and M. Charlet in France.
Chafiet is known as the father OF tnod-
ern social carica ture aud holds as good
title 10 his position as does Philipau to
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 Ito subtitle or
the London Charivari. for years the
faithful II not the most highly polished
reflector Of British life. Upon its stan
John leeeh. Richard Doyle. John Fem
MEL. George dn MaurIer and dozen
men of lesser ma me kept Great Britain
In good humor for two generations.
II has been reserved for America.
however. TO bring forth new race OF
carieaturists. which for lack OF better
title may he called the personal car
toonists. men who seize upon the char
acteristics Of an individual and so ex-
aggerate them that the subjects OF the
cartoons are known by the most promi.
nent features in their physical, mental
or moral makeup.
True there was one man In London
hundred years ago. Gillray by name
who had this faculty OF dissecting his
subject until he found his weakest
point and then numerically pricking IL
with his drawing pencil. but with him
the race died out. to be reincarnated In
America. Gilray was close observer
OF people aud events. He would SIT In
his publishers window and watch the
fops OF the court as they passed ana
fasten In his memory every feature oy
which a man would be recognized by
his acouaintanees. He remembered ev'
ery story that related to the traits OK
character OF those in the public eye
and the st. James street OF lSoo Id
faithfully reproduced in his art.
Perhaps we Americans look az the
droll side Of life more than other peo-
ple. but certain it is we have more ana
better cartoonkts than elsewhere. he
very quickness with which we see the
point OF a joke demands equal tacillty
In portra ying drolIery In cartoon. we
sketch boldly and leave much OF tne
unnecessary detail to our slower couS'
ins. Then. too. our public events nap
pen with such startling rapidlty that
cartoon Of yesterdays dolngs woulo DC
fiat today. and we must keep very
much alive and be ready for poiitica'
change overnight.
In other words. the alert American
must have depicted in his cartoon 'ns
worry traits Of cbara cter that have mace