We’re welcoming author Barbara Monajem as today’s guest
blogger. I fell in love with her Lady Rosamund Regency-set mysteries because
she takes such care to stay true to the history and culture of the times…and
writes a darn good story! An important
part of the Lady Rosamund stories are caricatures—basically the political
cartoons of the 19th century, though they went far beyond politics
to comment on many different aspects of society and life as well. I’ll let Barbara take
it from there…
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Do you read the tabloids at the supermarket? I don’t, but I can’t
help but notice the photos of celebs and royals. Often, the tabloids take a
grimace and blow it up into a feud, doctoring the photos to show people
screaming at one another. Horrid, isn’t it? And so unkind.
Believe it or not, this is nothing new. The Regency
equivalent of the tabloid photographer was the caricaturist. Caricatures were
printed from etchings or engravings and distributed all over England. They
ranged from social and political commentary to downright scandal. Wealthy
patrons might have subscriptions, while others purchased copies at stationers
or print shops. Even illiterates benefited from the entertaining spin on
current affairs, as the prints were displayed in shop windows, and a literate
onlooker might helpfully read the captions aloud.
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My favorite of the well-known caricaturists is James
Gillray. He was relentless in his satires of the royal family, in particular
the Prince of Wales (who, one has to admit, was really asking for it; he wasn’t
at all well-behaved). Here is one where the King, Queen and Prince are all
eating gold coins, enriching their coffers at the expense of the people. But
while the King and Queen hold onto their money in craws attached to their necks,
the Prince’s craw is empty, for he wasted vast sums.
Gillray drew a very famous caricature imagining what it
would be like if the royal family were ousted, like in France. This enraged the
Prince of Wales so much that he paid to have the print suppressed and the
original plate destroyed (it wasn’t). Gillray also satirized Napoleon, whose outraged
reaction was much like the Prince’s.
Gillray also depicted current issues, such as controversy
over the cowpox vaccination to prevent smallpox. His caricature shows
vaccinated people with little cows growing out of their arms, heads, bums, etc.
Doesn’t sound too different from the vaccine controversies of today!
He also satirized various excesses of fashion, such as tight
lacing or preposterously high ostrich feathers. Here is one suggesting that the
current style of gown was too revealing.
Other famous caricaturists were Isaac Cruikshank and his
sons, Isaac Robert and George. This 1850 drawing by George Cruikshank satirizes
the crinoline. Isaac Robert Cruikshank caricatured dandies and their absurdly
high collars/cravats.
Lastly, another of my favorites is Thomas Rowlandson. I like
this caricature of the Bluestockings – intellectual or literary ladies – who are
violently brawling with one another. It probably implies that women are
incapable of intellectual pursuits, and that those who attempt to do so are unladylike,
and squabble like women of ill repute. But to me it also suggests that when it
comes to allowing petty differences to escalate into violence, men and women can
be much the same. I suppose it depends on who is interpreting it!
I guess all this explains why I chose to make a caricaturist
one of the main characters in my Lady Rosamund mysteries. It’s just so much fun
imagining the spin a clever caricaturist could put on anything he chose. He could
comment on the follies of society, poke fun at the rich and famous, and even invent
a scandal for the fun of it. (And no one gets harmed in real life, because this
is fiction.)
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In addition to
the Lady Rosamund series, USA Today bestselling author Barbara Monajem is the author
of more than thirty novels and novellas. She wrote her first story at eight
years old about apple tree gnomes. After publishing a middle-grade fantasy, she
settled on historical mysteries and romances with intrepid heroines and
long-suffering heroes (or vice versa). Sometimes there’s a bit of fantasy mixed
in, because she wants to avoid reality as much as possible. She lives near
Atlanta with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline
strays. Learn more at www.BarbaraMonajem.com.
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