Sur Le Pont – 1920 Caricature by Charles Rogino
Charles Rogino: Caricature entitled “Sur Le Pont” (On the Bridge)
Original 1920s caricature by artist from Lyon
Mixed media – Watercolor over pencil
On a bridge in Paris or Lyon, a woman in profile view wearing a wide-brimmed hat adored with a feather (or perhaps an entire pigeon!) stands skepticallly listening to a stout elderly man with a white beard, wearing glasses and a long, brown coat He is holding a hat in one hand for alms and a sign in the other that reads, “Ayez pitié d’un pauvre aveugle avec 25 enfants tous en bas âge” which translates to “Have pity on a poor blind man with 25 children all of young age.”
Their dialogue is written in pencil below the piece:
“Comment! Vous êtes aveugle et vous avez 25 enfants?” (“What! You’re blind and you have 25 children?”)
To which the man replies: “Hélas! ma pauvre dame… je voyais pas ce que je faisais!” (“Alas, my poor lady… I did not see what I was doing!”)
1892-1966
Also known as: Ch. Rogino
Charles Rogino was born in the quarter of Lyon known as Maisons Neuves in 1892 or 1893 (citations vary). At the age of 22, he was mobilized as soldier to Verdun, where he sketched with his fellow soldiers with affection and humor. After the war he worked as an illustrator and was published in publications including Guigno, Lyon Républicain, La Baïonnette. Together with Félix Benoît, he founded the group “humoristes lyonnais.” Between 1939 and 1963 he ran a cafe and tobacco shop (café-tabac) in the quartier de Charpieu in Lyon called “Le Pied de Vigne.”
Among Rogino’s published works is the illustrated booklet “Les 7 Nains et La Belle Amandine” (Amandine and the 7 drarfs) published in Lyon by Editions du Puits-Pelu. He frequently illustrated music cover sheets, including one for La Marseillaise.
References: Article in Le Progrès about an exhibit of his WWI drawings at the Le Pied de Vigne Tabac (Tobacco shop) he founded in Charpieu, Lyon, which was later run by his granddaughter: https://www.leprogres.fr/rhone/2015/11/11/les-dessins-de-rogino-ancien-soldat-exposes-au-pied-de-vigne
Detail of signature
The style with its exaggerated features and satirical content, resembles the work typical of French caricaturists from the late 19th to early 20th century and evokes the spirit of illustrators like Honoré Daumier or Albert Guillaume, who often commented on society with a mix of humor and critique. The loose and expressive line work, coupled with the subtle use of watercolor for depth, adds to its caricatural and illustrative quality. In style and content the work is very close to Abel Faivre’s illustrations for “Le Rire,” the famous journal humoristique of the Belle Epoque.
Framed under glass:
If shipped, will be shipped unframed:
Dimensions of drawing 34 x 45 cm (17.5 x 13.5 inches)
Dimensions in frame: 42 x 52 cm (16.5 x 21.5 inches)
