AN EXAMINATION ON THE CARICATURES THEMED ABDÜLHAMİD II IN LE RIRE MAGAZINE

Abstract

Caricature, in a historical sense, can be deemed as an application that reveals a human’s ability to paint. It is perceived that the caricature, which has been held in human life since cave paintings until today, has also a unique place in our modern life with different ways and various fields through the course of history. The caricature will continue to exist as an influential representative in the combination of painting and criticism. In this context, political caricatures are one of the most practical and efficient methods used to criticize notables of states. The dose of these caricatures is caused many controversies even today, as they increase their violence and cruelty in case of conflicts between states. There are many media outcomes published in Europe that collect with the developments worldwide. It is reasonable to confer following newspapers and magazines as examples in this field: La Silhouette (1829), La Caricature (1830), Penny Magazine (1832), Punch (1841), L’Illustration Journal Universel (1843), Harpers’s Magazine (1850), Le Monde Illustré (1857), The Illustrated London News (1842), Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News (1855), Puck (1871) etc. These newspapers and magazines have a unique place in the world press history in terms of showing all varieties of criticism, apart from being pioneers in many fields. Since these publications systematically followed the political and social events happening all over the world and included many illustrations, caricatures and columns on various topics according to the agenda. These descriptions are noteworthy documents for many disciplines today. In recent years, access to works has increased with the convenience provided by digitalization. Therefore, the descriptions in various printed publications have emerged in a way that supports the studies in many types of research, even with the potential to be the main topic directly. The journal, which addresses many people and issues critically, mainly in France and Europe, has established many studies on the Ottoman Empire and its leaders. Abdülhamid II (1876-1909), has been the subject of a notable amount of critical caricature during his long reign. Within the scope of this research, 15 caricatures that themed Abdülhamid II, which were selected from 836 numbers of Le Rire, published between 1894 and 1909, were determined and examined. The following subjects are processed in these caricatures: Some difficulties experienced by the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans and Eastern Anatolia, the rapprochement with the Germans, the endless negotiations in foreign policy, the turmoil in terms of the Ottoman sultanate and the joint studies with Europe. It is aimed to bring these caricatures, some of which are anonymous and some signed, as a consequence of various technical skills, to several fields of study and especially to the literature of art history by analyzing them in artistic and historical terms. Thus, Sultan Abdülhamid II, who had a very important share in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, has been the goal to reveal how Abdülhamid II was introduced or presented to the reader through the caricature.