André Gill
The d'Artagnan du Crayon fearlessly lampooned the French rulers of his day in a series of masterly caricatures that would later inspire the creators of Spitting Image and many others.
The origins of the caricature style known as portrait-charge – featuring big heads on little bodies – can be traced back to the artists working for Charles Philipon's groundbreaking weekly French magazine Le Charivari in the 1830s (the subtitle of Punch, launched in 1841, was 'The London Charivari'). Three decades later a brilliant young protégé of Philipon would perfect the technique and make the style his own. Indeed, such was his impact that he influenced generations of caricaturists who followed him, from John Tenniel and Max Beerbohm to Peter Fluck and Roger Law, creators of Spitting Image.
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