Karikatuur van een Hollander en zijn dochter in de Jardin des Plantes 1841

This caricature by Jules-Joseph-Guillaume Bourdet captures a Dutchman and his daughter in the Jardin des Plantes. The composition, rendered in delicate watercolours, immediately strikes us with its stark contrasts and satirical intent. The artist uses line and form to highlight the perceived naivety of the Dutch visitors. Note how the exaggerated features of the man and the softness of the daughter's form create a visual dichotomy, underscored by the linear rigidity of the fence. It cages the exoticized animal. This is in stark contrast to the supposed freedom of the visitors. Bourdet is clearly playing with semiotic codes, using clothing and setting to comment on cultural identity and perception. The caricature is a form of visual rhetoric, deploying exaggeration and irony to challenge fixed notions of national identity. This artwork functions not merely as a representation, but as an active participant in the cultural discourse of its time. It is challenging and reshaping our understanding of the Other.