Les-Parents-Terribles series: I can't stand for that kind of mustaches

Art Historical Context

Paul Gavarni, a leading French caricaturist of the 19th century created *Les Parents Terribles: I can't stand for that kind of mustaches* 1853. This lithograph captures Gavarni's signature satirical wit, poking fun at bourgeois family dynamics and fashion fads during the July Monarchy's waning years and the dawn of the Second Empire. The title's exasperated quip likely skewers a parent's disapproval of a son's trendy mustache—a symbol of dandyish masculinity in mid-19th-century Paris—highlighting generational clashes over style and propriety. Printed in black ink on cream wove paper (image: 19.4 × 16.1 cm), the work exemplifies lithography's revolutionary appeal: a chemical process invented in the late 18th century that allowed artists like Gavarni to produce affordable, detailed reproductions for popular journals such as *Le Charivari*. His fluid lines and expressive faces convey humor and social observation with effortless economy, making prints like this accessible commentary on everyday life. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this piece reflects Gavarni's enduring influence on graphic satire, bridging fine art and mass media. Visitors will appreciate its timeless chuckle at parental overreach amid the era's mustache mania.

About the Artist

Paul Gavarni · 1804–1866

Paul Gavarni, born Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier on January 13, 1804, in Paris to a cooper father from Burgundy and mother Marie-Monique Thiémet—whose brother, painter Guillaume Thiémet, served as his godfather—began his career far from the art world. As a youth, he worked in a machine factory and studied mechanical drawing at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in 1818, followed by evening classe...