Nos chasseurs

Abel Faivre's ink drawing depicts a French chasseur (light infantryman) laden with equipment, striding confidently past a distant village. The caption reads: "Lord the sack? Think about it!... there's a photo of my goose in there!" This wood engraving exemplifies the popular French print tradition of military satire, combining caricature exaggeration with nationalist humor on the eve of World War I. The figure's grotesquely oversized pack and jovial demeanor reflect the subject matter of military service. Faivre's cartoon descends from nineteenth-century traditions of Daumier and Rowlandson, using physiognomy and comic distortion. Such military humor sheets circulated widely during the war years.