Henri Meyer

The artist Henri Meyer, born in 1844 in the French Alsace, had little love for the ruling class and aristocracy of his country. He expressed this in his political caricatures, which mainly parodied the Royalists and Bonapartists of France, but also had global themes in mind. The caricatures of Meyer, who was partly active under the artistic pseudonym "Reyem", thus formed a suitable means of portraying the displeasure of the dominated population. His works appeared in French-language satirical magazines, such as "Le Sifflet", where they occasionally adorned the title page. Meyer's caricatures were published together with those of other famous caricaturists such as Henri Demare, Moloch and Eugene Cottin.

One of the main themes Henri Meyer dealt with in his cartoons was the imperialism of the great European powers. Particularly famous is his caricature "The Chinese Cake", which deals with the struggle of the colonial powers Russia, Great Britain, Germany and France for power in China. The cartoon focuses on the powerless position of the Chinese emperor, who was figuratively degraded to a civil servant of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, the caricature by Henri Meyer can be interpreted as a historical testimony to public opinion about the colonial policy of the world powers at the end of the 19th century. Moreover, Henri Meyer's works are nowadays often used in an educational context to address historical forms of criticism of power.

Henri Meyer also worked with the French novelist Jules Verne, for whose stories he regularly produced engravings. Jules Verne's novels, which included illustrations by Henri Meyer, were published in large editions by the publishing house Hetzel. Henri Meyer was also commissioned by various news papers to design caricatures for illustrated supplements and cover pages. His parodies also adorned the front pages of the prestigious daily newspaper "Le Petit Journal", which had one of the highest circulations of its kind. Because of his artistic achievements, Meyer was elevated to the knighthood of the French Legion of Honor in 1844, which was, however, in contradiction to the content of his caricatures critical of the French rule. The caricaturist and illustrator found his last resting place in the community of Thiais, where he was buried in 1899. Henri Meyer's son, Jan-Méjan, was to follow in his father's footsteps by embarking on a career as a draughtsman and designer.