The Law in Caricature

This article will be devoted to a genre of its own: judicial caricature, the depiction of lawyers or court scenes. Applying a broad understanding of caricature, it will examine not only the humorous portrayal of individuals, but also the satirical representation of entire professional groups and judicial-political events. It will therefore include the early developments of this art form, such as those known from the late Middle Ages in Germany, to the later developments in England and, in particular, France, where caricature flourished in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this context, the article will also examine their function as commentary on contemporary events and as a form of social criticism. As this article will show, the accusations made against lawyers have changed little throughout the ages: they are accused of greed, venality, vanity, injustice, partiality and excess. However, the means and manner of this presentation varied greatly and corresponded to both their respective epoch and associated historical context.