Western Washington University

01/07/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/07/2026 13:36

WWU to host student-curated exhibit featuring historical caricature

WWU to host student-curated exhibit featuring historical caricature

"Centuries of Caricature: Critiquing Cultural Conflicts" can be viewed from Jan. 6 through March 20

January 7, 2026

"The German Tango," from Louis Raemaekers, The Great War: A Neutral's Indictment. Available in Special Collections.

BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University's Archives & Special Collections will host an exhibition entitled "Centuries of Caricature: Critiquing Cultural Conflicts" from Jan. 6 through March 20, and is available for viewing Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment (closed weekends and holidays) in Special Collections (Wilson 6th floor).

This exhibition is free and open to the public.

"Centuries of Caricature: Critiquing Cultural Conflicts" introduces 19th- and 20th-century caricature from Europe and the United States. Social and political conflicts raged during this period, from world wars to the major ideological struggle between communism and capitalism. Caricature served as a method to censure enemies and politically skewer opponents. Within the realm of caricature, artists availed themselves of multiple methods of visual attack-some chose animals to symbolize their subjects, others utilized diabolical imagery, and yet others worked caricature into a comic setting, considering comicboth linguistically and as an art genre.

Students in Julia Sapin's Exhibition Theory and Practice (A/HI 490) class co-curated the exhibit by dedicating themselves to understanding the theories that inform exhibition practices, and researching, writing, and refining interpretive exhibit labels to help viewers explore different categories of caricature and delve into the operations of the individual images.

For more information or to schedule class or group visits to view the exhibit, please contact Michael Taylor, Special Collections Librarian, [email protected], (360) 650-3097.

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