Bidspirit auction | Three Issues of Le Grelot

Three Issues of Le Grelot - Key Dates in the Dreyfus Affair - Illustrated Covers - Three issues of Le Grelot, published on significant dates during the height of the Dreyfus Affair, marking the turning points at which the French public began to realize that the Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus was innocent. Illustrated covers. 1897-1899. An issue of Le Grelot, dated November 28, 1897, bearing the main headline ”NOUVEL ÉTAT-MAJOR” (”The New General Staff”) and illustrated by the caricaturist Pépin. The illustration was published at a critical stage of the Dreyfus Affair, when the French public was first being exposed to evidence pointing to Alfred Dreyfus's innocence and to the guilt of Esterhazy. The caricature depicts in the background two antisemitic and ultranationalist journalists dressed in the uniforms of French generals, complete with decorated shoulder epaulettes. On the left appears Édouard Drumont, identifiable by his thick beard, holding a placard bearing the name of his antisemitic newspaper, La Libre Parole. On the right is Henri Rochefort, recognizable by his distinctive upright hairstyle, holding a placard with the name of his nationalist newspaper, L'Intransigeant. The two stand beside a wall poster listing the elements of the affair under the heading ”AFFAIRE DREYFUS”, together with such terms as ”informers, ” ”treason, ” ”the Jewish syndicate, ” and ”Catholic.” Their portrayal as the ”New General Staff” sharply satirizes the destructive influence of the sensationalist and inflammatory press on the conduct of the army and the affairs of the state during the Dreyfus Affair. At the bottom of the cover appears the ironic caption: ”-- ...Tu crois qu'on manquera de chefs? Eh ben, et ceuss-là!...” (”-- ...Do you really think we'll run short of commanders? Well then, just look at these!...”). An issue of Le Grelot, dated December 11, 1898 – ”Now That the Bread Is Baked..., the Clever Ones Are Running to the Oven!...” Bearing the title ”TOURNONS NOS VESTES!” (”Let's Turn Our Coats!” - a French expression meaning to change one's political position, switch allegiance, or ”change sides”), and illustrated by the caricaturist Pépin. The illustration was published toward the end of 1898, at a time when efforts to secure a retrial for Alfred Dreyfus were gaining considerable momentum and both public and judicial opinion in France were beginning to shift in favor of the Dreyfusards. The caricature sharply mocks the opportunistic politicians and public figures who hastened to abandon their original positions and join the supporters of Dreyfus only after victory and the shift in public opinion appeared inevitable. In the foreground are two prominent and influential French politicians from the political mainstream, literally turning their coats inside out to symbolize their change of allegiance. On the left is Raymond Poincaré (later President of France), and on the right is Louis Barthou (later Prime Minister of France). In the upper left background appears Pope Leo XIII, hovering from the direction of the Vatican (beneath the inscription ”ROME”) and calling out ”Moi AUSSI!...” (”Me too!...”), a cynical allusion to the fact that the Catholic establishment in Rome, which had been associated with the conservative anti-Dreyfus camp, was likewise beginning to recognize the changing tide and sought to adapt to the new political reality. In the right background, a crowd is seen streaming toward the entrance of a building bearing a prominent red sign proclaiming ”AFFAIRE DREYFUS-PICQUART” (”The Dreyfus-Picquart Affair”), with another sign below inviting the public to sign the ”LISTE DES PROTESTATIONS” (”List of Protests”). At the bottom of the cover appears the biting caption mocking the political opportunism reflected in the affair: ”Maintenant que le pain est cuit..., les malins courent au four!...” (”Now that the bread is baked..., the clever ones are running to the oven!...”). An issue of Le Grelot, dated October 1, 1899, bearing the main title ”ÉDUCATEURS” (”Educators”) and illustrated by the caricaturist Gravelle. The illustration was published shortly after Alfred Dreyfus's dramatic retrial in Rennes during the summer of 1899, at which he was again convicted, albeit with extenuating circumstances, and subsequently granted a presidential pardon. The caricature satirizes the intellectuals and publicists who sought to capitalize on the Dreyfus Affair. At the center right stands a statue of Alfred Dreyfus mounted on a pedestal bearing the number 120 (an apparent reference to his prisoner number or the duration of his imprisonment). The statue rises above a stone wall inscribed with an ornate quotation attributed to the novelist Émile Zola,