Editorializing cartoons or the “mascaret effect” of satirical images in history books (nineteenth–twentieth centuries)

Mostly intended for press release, the editorialization of satirical images in retrospective books raises a number of questions—starting with their reduction to a purely illustrative status. Often disconnected from the text, the cartoon is thus deprived of its intentionality. Most of the time, each angle adopted determines the selection of iconography. The iconographic source lacks the rigor demanded by traditional historical sources. Strongly connoted by definition, satirical images legitimized by prestigious or scholarly publications present multiple challenges when brought before the public eye—particularly today, at a time when polemics and approximations are legion and when the internet has accelerated the circulation of content.