Arrivée en Alsace du commissaire ... c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, entitled 'Arrival in Alsace of the Extraordinary Commissioner Coco Romieu', in France sometime in the mid-19th century. It speaks volumes about the politics of imagery. Here, we see a caricature of Commissioner Romieu, arriving in Alsace, a region contested between France and Germany. Daumier exaggerates Romieu's features, turning him into a figure of ridicule, a representation of the state. In his hand, Romieu holds a paper that reads “The heirs of Caesar”. Is Daumier suggesting that this commissioner is an authoritarian figure reminiscent of the Roman emperors? Note the fleeing figures in the background. Are they running from Romieu's authority? Daumier worked for the satirical magazine Le Charivari, and his art was often critical of the French government and the bourgeoisie. To understand Daumier's critique more fully, we could research the specifics of Romieu's commission in Alsace, the political climate of the time, and the role of caricature in French society. Art is always contingent on social and institutional context.