This Dutch etching mocks Napoleon's exile to Elba through zoomorphic satire. A uniformed officer—identifiable by his bicorne hat and military regalia—rides an oversized rooster, which serves as a beast of burden and symbol of French pride brought low. The print belongs to the rich European tradition of political graphic satire: from Hogarth's moral narratives through Gillray's vicious caricatures to the Bilderbogen picture-sheets circulating across German and Dutch territories. The animal transformation, exaggerated profile, and domestic ridicule of a fallen military leader typify early 19th-century print culture, where caricature functioned as popular commentary on continental politics. Such images spread rapidly in print shops, prefiguring how visual satire would structure emerging comic forms.
About this artifact
- Date
- 1814
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by ComicBooks.com.
Part of our mission to preserve and restore the public-domain heritage of the medium.