Charles Amédée de Noé, known as Cham (26 January 1818 – 6 September 1879), was a French

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...

and

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

. He was born in Paris and raised by a family who wished for him to attend a

polytechnic A polytechnic is an educational institution that primarily focuses on vocational education, applied sciences, and career pathways. They are sometimes referred to as ''institutes of technology'', ''vocational institutes'', or ''universities of app ...

school. He instead attended painting workshops hosted by Nicolas Charlet and

Paul Delaroche Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (; Paris, 17 July 1797 – Paris, 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subje ...

and began work as a cartoonist. He eventually took up the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of "Cham". In 1839, he published his first book, '' Monsieur Lajaunisse'', which began a career that would span 40,000 drawings. In 1843, he began to have his illustrations published in newspapers like '' Le Charivari'', a publication where he was on staff for thirty years. Cham_-_Charivari_-_V6d331-c

Later works included '' Proudhon en voyage'' and '' Histoire comique de l'Assemblée Nationale''. He wrote a number of comic plays towards the end of his life. He died in Paris in 1879.

Depiction of people of colour

Cham was known for his racist portrayal of French people of colour.Grigsby, D. G. (2015). "Still Thinking about Olympia’s Maid". ''The Art Bulletin'', 97(4), 430–451. He was specifically targeting black women and drew them as animal-like, stereotyped caricatures. One example is his caricature of

Alexander Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

crossed dressed like a wet nurse, which was a popular profession for black women in the post-slavery era in 19th-century France. In a different caricature, he referred to the milk of a black wet-nurse as "black shoe polish".

References

External links

Lambiek Comiclopedia article.Les folies de la Commune
a fully digitized work by "Cham"
Blog
1818 births 1879 deaths Writers from Paris French caricaturists French editorial cartoonists French satirists French lithographers French comics artists {{France-artist-stub