Synopses & Reviews
The portentous, eighteen-year period (1830-1848) in the history of French revolutions known as the July Monarchy was circumscribed by the rule of Louis Philippe d'Orléans and was characterized by the political and social ascendancy of the bourgeoisie. Accompanying this brief and transitional stage was a phenomenal increase in printed media, especially in all forms of culture with a visual component. These nine essays, gathered from social historians and art historians, address the formation and consequences of the emergence of a popular culture. They significantly reframe the mental picture of the July Monarchy, calling into account traditional ideas of social order during this formative period of demographic change.
While the expanded availability of images and words, together with an elevated literacy rate, enhanced political awareness among lower classes, the rule of Louis Philippe inaugurated hegemonic social agendas. This was the period that saw the rise of class consciousness, the concept of "dangerous" classes, police surveillance, and the identification of "criminal" types. The pandemic medium of caricature was at once a vehicle for critiquing government and social mores and an effective tool for determining and controlling class distinctions. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Albert Boime, James Cuno, Michael Paul Driskel, Michael Marrinan, Elizabeth K. Menon, Kim Munholland, and David Van Zanten.
Synopsis
"A superb anthology. . . . It covers a wealth of fresh angles of vision, ranging form the reinterpretation of the historical past as propaganda for the historical present to the new awareness of social strata and the plight of the lower classes."--Robert Rosenblum, New York University
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-275) and index.
Table of Contents
| List of Illustrations | |
| Preface | |
| Introduction | 3 |
I | Violence, Satire, and Social Types in the Graphic Art of the July Monarchy | 10 |
II | The Image that Speaks: The Significance of M. Mayeux in the Art and Literature of the July Monarchy | 37 |
III | The Proletarian's Body: Charlet's Representations of Social Class during the July Monarchy | 58 |
IV | Proto-Realism in the July Monarchy: The Strategies of Philippe-Auguste Jeanron and Charles-Joseph Travies | 90 |
V | Historical Vision and the Writing of History at Louis-Philippe's Versailles | 113 |
VI | Michaud's History of the Crusades and the French Crusade in Algeria under Louis-Philippe | 144 |
VII | Pop Culture in the Making: The Romantic Craze for History | 166 |
VIII | The Power of Axes and the Axes of Power: L.-T.-J. Visconti, the New Louvre, and the Shape of Paris | 189 |
IX | Going to Extremes over the Construction of the Juste Milieu | 213 |
| Notes | 237 |
| Notes on Contributors | 261 |
| Bibliography | 263 |
| Index | 277 |