Karikatuur van Jean-Joseph Rousseau 1835

Honoré Daumier produced this lithograph of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 19th century France. It's a caricature, a visual form that gained popularity alongside the growth of print media and public debate. Daumier exaggerates Rousseau's features, emphasizing his profile, and rendering him with a world-weary demeanor. It's interesting that Daumier chose to depict Rousseau at all. Rousseau was a philosopher of the Enlightenment, whose ideas on democracy and social contract influenced the French Revolution. But by Daumier's time, the Revolution was long over, and France had gone through several different political regimes. So, is Daumier using Rousseau's image to comment on the legacy of the Revolution? Or perhaps he is critiquing the way that institutions like the government or the academy, have co-opted Rousseau's ideas for their own purposes. These are the kinds of questions a historian might ask. By consulting historical sources, we can better understand the complex relationship between art, politics, and society in 19th century France.