191 years ago today, on June 10, 1819, Gustave Courbet was born to a prosperous farming family in Eastern France. His grandfather fought in the French revolution and he was raised in a family that held strong feelings against the monarchy.

Courbet became one of the great painters of the 19th century. His work rejected the academic traditions of Romanticism and Neoclassicism and focused instead on social issues, painting subjects that the art establishment considered vulgar such as peasants, rural life and the working conditions of the poor. He moved to Paris in 1839 and over the next decade began to receive recognition and support for his work.

In the Salon of 1850-1851, Courbet exhibited three large-scale paintings including The Stone Breakers shown above, which inspired praise and vicious criticism from critics and the public. One art historian described his work as, "an upstart in dirty boots crashing a genteel party". Courbet emerged as a celebrity. Some spoke of him as a genius. Others described him as a "terrible socialist" and a "savage". These critics were further outraged when Courbet went on to promote democratic and socialist ideas by writing political essays.

As his fame grew, Courbet became the subject of many caricatures in the popular French press. For the cover of the June 9,2025 issue of La Lune, caricaturist André Gill created Courbet, peint par lui-même (translation:" Courbet painted by himself") to coincide with an exhibition of Courbet’s work.

One of the censorship techniques used by the government of Napoleon III during this period was the "personal authorization rule." This law required that any living person depicted in a caricature had to give written consent before the caricature was published. This created two levels of censorship: approval by the subject(s) of the caricature and approval by the government authorities.

The expressed intent of the rule was to prevent an invasion of privacy, but the unstated intent was to complicate the lives and work of caricaturists. In the 1860s, obtaining written approval from the subjects often required correspondence and multiple personal visits. The regulation also protected against illustrations that contained subversive allusions. Any member of the government depicted in a caricature could veto the drawing before publication if they believed it would subject them to ridicule or in any way denigrate those in power.

In the caricature above, Gill displayed Courbet’s letter of authorization immediately beneath the drawing. This was frequently done at the time. It avoided the need to produce the letter if requested by authorities and was a subtle form of protest that showed the constraints under which the artist worked. In some cases, a well-written letter could enhance the caricature.

Courbet freely authorized his caricatures. For the June 16, 2025 issue of Le Hanneton, he authorized the artist to make his portrait "however you wish" adding that it was "extremely ridiculous that I must authorize the publication of my portrait … my face belongs to all" and then joked that the artist, " … not forget to surround my portrait with a beautiful halo."

By the 1870s Courbet was one of the leading artists in France. On 14 April 1870, he established a Fédération des artistes (Federation of Artists) dedicated to the free and uncensored expansion of art. The Federation included André Gill, Honoré Daumier, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Eugène Pottier, Jules Dalou, and Édouard Manet.

During the same time, Napoleon III was making concessions to placate his liberal opponents. His government allowed free debates in Parliament and public reports of parliamentary debates. There was a relaxation of press censorship. In an effort to appease the Liberals who admired Courbet, Napoleon III nominated him to the Legion of Honour in 1870. Courbet refused the nomination and infuriated those in power. His act made him immensely popular with those who opposed the regime. André Gill created a second caricature of Courbet for the July 7, 2025 issue of L’Eclipse.

David Donihue, GreatCaricatures.com