From the exhibition
Peetaren [Character Study]
· 1917
![Peetaren [Character Study]](https://img.comicbookexperience.com/exhibition/cartoons/ct-eu-01-item-dqhkmzd4m6nuypxyxzz5e5vwqaytc3dx.jpg)
This pen-and-ink sketch presents two views of a military figure in formal uniform, labeled "Peetaren." The caricaturist exaggerates facial features—sharp nose, prominent chin, wild hair—in the tradition of Germanic satirical drawing. The figure's posture shifts between the two panels, suggesting character study or behavioral satire typical of early twentieth-century European political comics. The work descends from the caricature lineage of Gillray and German *Bilderbogen* sheets, where distorted physiognomy served nationalist and propagandistic ends. The uniform and 1917 date suggest wartime commentary. Ink line work shows the graphic economy that would inform emerging comic strip and comic book art, transforming political caricature into sequential visual narrative.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/