Mr. ÉTIEN....

Abstract

Caricature of Charles Guillaume Etienne. He was the "whipping boy" of Daumier. Charles Guillaume Etienne (1777-1845) was an important journalist and author. He wrote the libretto for the opera “La Joconde” (music by Nicolo, 1814) and in 1811 became member of the Académie Française, an honour which was revoked in 1815. He served as a Deputy for his district Meuse from 1820 –1824 and again from 1827-1839. He was directing the paper “Le Constitutionnel”, preceding Véron, and was politically linked to Guizot. Etienne can be considered a converted Bonapartist, a benefactor of Thiers. Under his management, the Constitutionnel became the government organ. His influence was remarkable, since newspaper reading at that time was an institution, not an amusement. Daumier produced a sculpture of Etienne, shown in Gobin nr. 26 under the name "Le Vaniteux".