Gargantua

This caricature, published in the comic journal, La Caricature, depicted the French King Louis Philippe as Gargantua, the namesake from a book written by Rabelais. The book was considered obscene, crude, and vulgar. As in Daumier’s works, the book Gargantua was a social commentary, searching into the meaning of words and how or when they were considered obscene, as well as the many social institutions and their effectiveness and reasoning. Daumier was imprisoned for six months at Saint Pelagic because of this drawing portraying the king in an unfavorable light. Soon after Daumier’s release and return to society, La Caricature discontinued circulation.