Dear geelong,
The cartoon you have in mind existed in various versions, since it was
in use all over Europe to illustrate the hierarchical social system. I
have done my best to locate some variants of high quality for you.
I am sure that this one fits best with your needs. It was used by
Socialists in Germany and Great Britain, thus the labelling in two
languages, German and English. Unfortunately, the exact printing date
and the artist are not known (attention, the image is quite large and
may take a while to load):
http://home.foni.net/~scrippor/A4.bmp
Source: Municipal Library of Lübeck, Germany
Please note that this cartoon was used in many European countries and
even the USA, so it is quite well-known.
A very similar cartoon, obviously based on the one above, was in
circulation in the Russian Empire in the last years of the 19th
century. It was issued by Socialists; here, the Czar and the Czarina
make the pyramid's top, below them the highest aristrocacy, the
church, the military, the bourgeoisie, and finally the working class
and the peasants, forming the pyramid's base:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/1071/wdcake.jpg
Source: Krasnaya's Critical Mass: Image Archive - The Czar's Wedding
Cake
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/1071/wall.html
Search terms used:
"we rule you" "we fool you"
://www.google.de/search?q=%22we+rule+you%22+%22we+fool+you%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=de&meta=
"czar's wedding cake"
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22czar%27s+wedding+cake%22&meta=
pyramid "capitalist system"
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=pyramid+%22capitalist+system%22&sa=N&tab=iw
Hope this is what you were looking for!
Best regards,
Scriptor |
Request for Answer Clarification by
geelong-ga
on
19 May 2003 00:05 PDT
Dear scriptor-ga, Thanks for the material. I have tried to open all
the variants that you provided in the answer but in several cases e.g.
with German material, the system freezes and I cannot open the file.
The illustration that I recall is a more refined version of the the
version from Lubeck that you sent - but my recollection is of a more
finely drawn engraving(probably French or Belgium), in black and
white. I was hoping to pair it in my book with Grandville's engraving,
an anti-socialist cartoon 'Human Levelling: the Dream of the
Mediocre'. Does this ring a bell?
geelong-ga
|
Clarification of Answer by
scriptor-ga
on
19 May 2003 08:39 PDT
Dear geelong,
It does not ring a bell yet, but I will do additional research.
However, the motif of the "social pyramid" has been used very often in
political cartoons since the second half of the 18th century, when it
appeared in pre-revolutionary French pamphlets. There are many
variants. I can't guarantee that I will find exactly the one version
you remember. But I will try to do my best.
Regards,
Scriptor
|
Clarification of Answer by
scriptor-ga
on
20 May 2003 06:32 PDT
Dear geelong,
I have spent several hours in the library, searching for an
illustration that resembles your description. I think I finally found
it in a book on the 19th century. However, I need to be sure before I
take that very thick and heavy book with me. Please let me know, as
far as you remember:
- How many steps exactly did the pyramid have?
- Who were the persons / social groups on each step?
- Were there any words or other text?
Best regards,
Scriptor
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
geelong-ga
on
20 May 2003 16:00 PDT
Dear Scriptor
Thanks for your note. My recollection is that the engraving/etching
(strictly in black and white) is/was French or Belgian, and was finely
drawn. I doubt if it had words or text on it - but I could be wrong. I
thought that it might have been in E J Hobsbawm's book The Age of
Capital, but my copy has gone missing. I don't think that the pyramid
had 'steps', as in the earlier version you sent - there was more of a
continuum (like illustrations of evolution) with the strong at the top
and the weak at the bottom. Does this help?
Geelong
|
Clarification of Answer by
scriptor-ga
on
29 May 2003 16:38 PDT
Dear geelong,
I am getting more and more desperate. In the library, I have browsed
about 100 books on history, social sciences, and political cartoons in
the past days. So far, the results are less than satisfying. But I
won't give up yet! I will keep searching...
Best regards,
Scriptor
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
geelong-ga
on
29 May 2003 22:16 PDT
Dear scriptor-ga
You certainly deserve five stars for effort - and if the answer is not
exactly what I am after the fault is probably mine in not posing the
right question. I should check the Hobsbawm book I mentioned. But I
don't want you going on in a way which may be unproductive for us
both. I have ceratinly gone far beyond the list price of $50 - so i
suggest that you add a $50 tip, taking it to $100 US and cut our
losses.
geelong-ga
|
Clarification of Answer by
scriptor-ga
on
30 May 2003 04:59 PDT
Dear geelong,
Thank you very much. I do appreciate that you recognize my efforts,
and I must say that your tip is more than generous, considering I was
not able to provide you the answer you asked for.
I wish you the best for your further search!
Very best regards,
Scriptor
|
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