Caricature of a Man Wearing a Broad-Brimmed Hat

Art Historical Context

In the lively world of early 19th-century French art, Théodore Géricault'sCaricature of a Wearing a Broad-Brim Hat* (1818/19) captures the artist's playful side amid his intense Romantic pursuits. Géricault, a leading figure in Romanticism known for dramatic masterpieces like *The Raft of the Medusa* (1819), often sketched exaggerated human forms to explore emotion and character. This drawing, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, depicts a whimsical figure with an oversized hat, highlighting Géricault's fascination with physiognomy—the idea that facial features reveal personality. Rendered in graphite on cream laid paper (22.6 × 28.7 cm), the work showcases Géricault's masterful use of line and shading. Laid paper, with its textured chain lines from traditional handmade production, was ideal for detailed pencil work, allowing fluid hatching and contouring that bring the caricature to life. Perimeter-mounted on cream wove paper for preservation, it exemplifies the technical precision of Géricault's studio practice. Created just before his iconic shipwreck painting, this caricature reveals the artist's versatility—from monumental history painting to intimate, humorous studies. It invites visitors to see the human spark behind Romantic intensity, reminding us that even geniuses doodled with delight.

About the Artist

Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault · 1791–1824

Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (1791–1824) was born into a prosperous bourgeois family in Rouen, France, the son of a lawyer who managed the family tobacco business. After moving to Paris around 1797, his artistic talent emerged early, nurtured in a circle that included his maternal uncle Jean-Baptiste Caruel and art dealer Jean-Louis Laneuville. Géricault began formal training in 1808 under ...