Produced circa 1900 as number 5 in Le Musée de Sires, this original poster printed in color lithography portrays Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The caption employs the hostile contemporary epithet “Le Sultan Rouge,” or “the Red Sultan.”
Roubille creates one of the series’ most severe political images. The ruler is shown in military dress with blood-red hands, while severed heads and stained surfaces fill the surrounding space. The restricted palette of black, red, pale yellow and grey intensifies the composition’s accusatory character.
The nickname used on the sheet became widespread in the European press following the mass violence against Armenians during the 1890s. The poster therefore belongs not simply to comic portraiture but to the more confrontational tradition of political denunciation.
Auguste Roubille was recognized for his ability to move between elegant commercial graphics and biting editorial satire. His simplified shapes and forceful contrasts made even complex political messages legible at a glance.
A powerful and unsettling historical document, this original poster is particularly relevant to collections devoted to Ottoman history, political propaganda and the visual culture of the Belle Époque.
Original Poster
Caricature - Press - Turkey
The museum of Sires - Guelerie Contemporaine Number 5
A. Malverge Paris
Good condition, small tears
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