Anthropomorphism

From satirical political cartoons to personified flowers, the illustrations of Grandville have been very influential, especially in the development of the graphic novel. Grandville was a skillful political cartoonist with interests in human character and physiognomy. His illustrations captured the foibles and follies of humanity with the metaphor of the menagerie. As his reputation as an illustrator continued to grow, he received a publisher’s commission for his most infamous work, Un autre monde (1844), a book that profoundly influenced the Surrealists. Un autre monde is a nonsensical story of three travelers exploring other worlds via interplanetary bridges. The travelers observe conflicts in these new worlds, satires and parodies of recent French history.