M. de Rich

This lithograph depicts a portly gentleman in formal dress, shown in profile with exaggerated facial features typical of 19th-century caricature. The figure's prominent nose, receding chin, and corpulent frame are rendered through careful gradations of tone to mock his physical appearance and, by extension, his character or social position.

The print exemplifies the French satirical tradition descended from Gillray and Rowlandson, wherein political and social figures were lampooned through physiognomic distortion. Lithography's commercial accessibility made such prints widely distributed vehicles for public commentary. The artist employs the medium's tonal range to create volume and emphasis, directing ridicule toward an identifiable contemporary subject. This tradition of caricature would directly influence the development of comic illustration and sequential art.