'Ce are să facă fabula religieĭ cu fericirea raţionată!', Ghimpele, 1…

Cartoon published in Ghimpele, the Romanian liberal and nationalist magazine, and directed against the country's conservative factions. In this polemical interpretation, political conservatism is equated with atheism, materialism, or at least agnosticism. The title is a quote from one of Ghimpele's adversaries, writer-politician Cezar Bolliac, picked up from Bolliac's Trompeta Carpaţilor ("Trumpet of the Carpathians") newspaper: Ce are să facă fabula religieĭ cu fericirea raţionată! Racine fiul idealiséză materia; noĭ materialisăm ideia. ("What could the fable that is religion have in common with rational happiness! Racine the Younger [i. e. French poet Louis Racine] idealizes matter; we materialize the idea.") In the center, a stereotypical black-faced, savage, bare-breasted woman distributes moneybags, labeled "Reason". This imagery is multiplied by the group of savage girls dancing about in the front row. Flanking the central figure are the two conservative leaders: Ion Emanuel Florescu (left) and Lascăr Catargiu; their own moneybags are marked "My religion", and the clubs they hold bear the French names La Raison ("Reason"), La Vérité ("Truth"). They preside over a multitude of anti-liberal politicians and publicists, bowing in front of "Reason". Bolliac has his eponymous trumpet, blowing out the slogan "Those who will pay me money are my gods." Titu Maiorescu, the conservative policymaker of Moldavia, is visible on the right half, next to last from the left. Present thro

Artist: unknown/uncredited. License: Public domain. Source

#female-toplessness-in-art #1870s