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Why did Charles Philipon depict King Louis-Philippe as a pear?
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Honoré Daumier
French artist HonorĂ© Daumier, c. 1850â60.
Charles Philipon, a French journalist and founder of the satirical journal La Caricature, famously depicted King Louis-Philippe as a pear to mock the monarch.12
The caricature was both a visual and a verbal pun. In French, the word for pear, poire, also carries the slang meaning of a "simpleton" or "fathead," making it a potent tool for political satire. Philiponâs invention featured a drawing that showed the gradual transformation of the kingâs face into the shape of a pear. This image became a common symbol for the king, and Philipon encouraged his contributorsâincluding the renowned artist HonorĂ© Daumierâto utilize the motif in their own work to criticize the July monarchy.213