Philipon, Charles

Philipon, Charles

(born April 19, 1802, Lyon, France—died Jan. 25, 1862, Paris) French caricaturist, lithographer, and journalist. An excellent draftsman with a fertile sense of satire and vigorous political opinions, he published a series of journals of political satire. La Caricature, which he introduced in 1830, was suppressed in 1835; Le Charivari, introduced in 1832, became the inspiration for Punch, subtitled The London Charivari. His drawing showing the transformation of Louis-Philippe into the shape of a pear established the pear as the common symbol for the king. He attracted and inspired the best caricaturists in France, including Honoré Daumier and Gustave Doré.