This Dutch satirical print mocks Napoleon Bonaparte through scatological humor during the Napoleonic Wars' final phase. The title announces an explanation of a caricature depicting Bonaparte on a toilet—a crude but effective attack on his dignity and power. The letterpress verses below employ folk idiom and vernacular language to address "dear compatriot Netherlanders," urging them to laugh at his humiliation while remembering Dutch losses and occupation.
The work exemplifies the Northern European print satire tradition established by Hogarth and refined through Gillray and Rowlandson: political opponents reduced to bodily degradation. This crude visual logic—literally depicting authority at its most vulnerable—descends directly into comic strip and comic book traditions. The ornamental border frames the text like a proclamation, democratizing political commentary for ordinary readers during a moment of nationalist fervor.
About this artifact
- Date
- 1813
- 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.