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From the exhibition

Негово Величество (His Majesty)

Милев, Гео · 1909

Негово Величество (His Majesty)
Bulgarian artist Geo Milev's cover design announces a political satire in Cyrillic text. The modest brown paper wrapper—unmarked by images—reflects early twentieth-century European print culture, when text-driven covers preceded illustrated mastheads. This publication emerges from a tradition of political caricature stretching from Hogarth through Gillray and Daumier to contemporary newspaper comics: artists using exaggeration and visual wit to critique authority. Milev worked in Bulgaria during a period of dynastic and nationalist ferment, when the printed page served as primary vehicle for dissent. The deliberately austere presentation suggests the satirical contents required no embellishment—the argument itself carried the bite. Such covers became templates for modern comic publishing.

Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/