Three Museum Narratives: Caricature and Its Relationship to the History of Print and Visual Culture

Caricature is often associated with the press and political satire, but its history extends far beyond these contexts. For centuries, satirical imagery has evolved alongside printmaking, drawing, and the graphic arts, taking on different forms and addressing subjects ranging from politics and religion to social relations and human behavior. For this reason, exhibitions devoted to caricature and visual satire do more than simply bring together a collection of satirical images. Some explore the history of this visual language; others examine its relationship with print and the media; while others show how the themes and forms of satire have changed across different periods. In recent years, several leading museums and cultural institutions have devoted exhibitions to the history of caricature, satire, and visual humor. Below, we look at three examples of such exhibitions.