Introduction
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Research topic
This investigation analyzes the female caricatures that contain the image of the “emancipated woman.”
This research topic has a long tradition. There are investigations that look at images from the 15th and 16th century. The caricatures that are addressed in this essay originate from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. During this time, the German Reich (as it was called back then) experienced the so-called first women’s movement.
On the one hand, there will always be a “look back” at earlier times to determine the similarities and differences regarding how women are/were presented. Furthermore, the topic of “women’s liberation” is still relevant, e.g. in light of the current financial and economic crises where some social-political figures debate on how women can be “steered back” into the reproductive realm.
Sources
The satirical publications Simplicissimus and Jugend have artistically reflected upon and interpreted women’s struggle for emancipation and equality. No other satirical magazine has been as frequently examined as the Simplicissimus by art historians for a variety of studies to illustrate German history.
Although the woman is one of the most popular “objects” of caricature, there have been hardly any discussions on the different themes of femininity. There are hardly any studies addressing the social/political position of the woman and/or an artist’s image(s) of women.
Caricature definition/The term “caricature”
This essay applies a wide use of the term “caricature” (see Chapter 8 in the Studying History On line Section).
Reumann determines that caricatures aim to “(…) use a pointed content or exaggerated form to make fun of, attack or comment on something” (see: Reumann (1969): 67).
