The digital version of the book can be found in the Reading Room of the Racconigi Castle

“Lui” devant l’objectif caricatural. 348 images de tous les pays

Author:

John Grand-Carteret

Publication date:

1905

The “Lui” (him) in the title is a reference to the Kaiser William II, last emperor of Germany and king of Prussia. The whole book is a collection of William II’s caricatures, some of them more similar to simple portraits, while others are true satirical drawings. You could almost call it a manual on how to create the perfect emperor’s caricature, because each explanation on how to better draw him (starting from the famous shape of his moustaches) matches caricatures coming from all over Europe that portray the Kaiser in the most different situations. The introduction is a plea to William II himself from the author: he should prove to be a generous king by authorizing his satirical portraits.

Redouter et interdire la caricature de Votre personne et de Vos actes, serait vous rapetisser aux yeux de l’Europe. Si vous faisiez cela vous ne seriez plus le Kaiser, l’EMPEREUR PACIFIQUE et TRÈS MODERNE.
Majesté ! mettez à votre censure politique le veto du bon sens et de la raison.
Majesté! faites le geste libérateur que le monde attend de vous.
Laissez passer les images!