Caricature analysis

Caricatures have recently been brought into the limelight in a tragic way, when an attack was carried out on the editorial office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015. Eleven people, including several well-known cartoonists, were murdered.

As historical sources, cartoons often have to be deciphered, which is not always easy. Since caricatures try to draw attention to grievances in society or to peculiarities of a person in an exaggerated manner, understanding it requires sound knowledge of a certain period of time. Often, caricatures even allude to a very short period of time or a very specific event or anecdote, making it even more difficult to analyse the drawings.

Nevertheless, it is helpful to take a closer look at caricatures. In conflictual situations, they provide information about what a specific newspaper, grouping or cartoonist thinks about an issue. In this section of the portal, we want to show you how caricatures can be deciphered. After all, they shape opinions or facts in the media.