Champignons de Vénus

Abstract

In September 1912, Lucien Métivet (1863-1932) published a curious cartoon in the magazine Le Rire. Known for his many satirical works, Métivet was in the habit of translating the Parisian news of his time into images. Here he brings together, in a surprising and unlikely way, medical and prophylactic references to venereal diseases and their transmission, a few news items reported in the newspapers after a rainy summer, and a social joke linked to the visit to Paris of a young foreign prince. The aim of this article is to sketch out the socio-cultural context of this press cartoon, which is seen as an object-witness to the history of medicine and French society at the beginning of the 20th century.

Keywords

• syphilis
• press cartoon
• Le Rire
• venereal prophylaxis
• satirical humour