The Slanderer 1851

Charles Rambert made this print, “The Slanderer,” using etching and engraving techniques. Made in 1851, the print reflects a period rife with social and political unrest in France. The monstrous figure, part human and part owl, sits enthroned above a scene of despair and oppression. The piece speaks to the destructive power of libel and the corruption of justice. Rambert evokes the visual language of the grotesque, a popular mode in France at the time, to give form to the formless notion of slander. It’s difficult not to read his figure as a critique of those in power, or more generally as a statement about the fragility of truth in a world driven by rumor and innuendo. The image suggests how easily reputations can be destroyed and how difficult it is to defend oneself against false accusations. There is also a disturbing intimacy in the scene, a reminder that slander is a deeply personal and often devastating act.