“How our grandfathers and fathers fought” (Military caricature and soldier folklore)

The exhibition is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. It presents caricatures, posters, lubki (popular prints) created during the War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 from the collection of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Satirical Art played an important role in maintaining the combat readiness and patriotic spirit of soldiers during the war and in the early XIX- middle of the XX century.
During the Patriotic War of 1812 caricatures of the French army and Emperor Napoleon were widespread in Russia. Such famous Russian artists as Ivan Terebenev, Alexey Venetsianov, Ivan Ivanov and others worked in the genre of caricature. Causes for mockery were the appearance, behavior of soldiers of the French army and the French lifestyle, including those Frenchmen living in Russia at that time - their manners, education and obsession about fashion. Satirical leaflets fulfilled their main task – to unite all strata of Russian society in the face of enemy. The exhibition displays original caricatures of that time.
Since the first days of the World War an extensive publicity campaign was also conducted, the main component of which was the theme of the mobilization of all forces for the defense of the homeland. During the search for examples of victorious repulsion of the enemy in the history of Russia, the Patriotic War of 1812 immediately went to the foreground.
Many historical parallels – inter terrestrial and foreign periods of both wars, the formation of the citizens in arms, the unprecedented rise of people and constant values of a front-line soldier - combat brotherhood strengthened by a good joke, soldier mot, soulful song and a good poem... Even the title - Patriotic - recall the events of the beginning of XIX century.
Theme of the Patriotic war of 1812 and the crushing defeat of Napoleon's army was extremely popular in Russian fine art of the 1941-1945. Caricaturists were the ones to disclose it in their works particularly bold and expressive, drawing parallels between the two invasive campaigns in Russia and their ignominious end.
At the exhibition at the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad can be seen caricatures, satirical posters with grotesque images of soldiers and commanders as the Nazi army as well as the French army, led by Emperor Napoleon.

Admission: exhibition can be visited on a single ticket to the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad (full - 100 rubles, student - 60 rubles.)