The attached photos are satirical image of who I believe to be Sergei Witte. Throughout the satirical articles, a man with a full beard and slight balding kept reappearing. Because of his reappearances, I knew he was an important person in Russian politics – or at least a prominent figure in Imperial Russia. After comparing the images to paintings of Witte and considering the contexts, I decided that the person must be Witte.
This first picture is the funniest to me. The picture depicts “a hard pill to swallow”, as Witte attempts to swallow giant multiple pills. While the crowd watches in horror, the four figures in the upper left appear satisfied – almost as if they are scheming. Given the context of the 1905 revolution, this satire suggests that Witte is attempting to satisfy too many interests. While I do not know who the people in the top left are, they are possibly conservative Russians since they are enjoying Witte’s failure.
This image depicts Witte in another light. Sergei has his arms wide open, he is larger than everyone else and he is atop the Duma. Several people surround him, some more well dressed that others, which suggests multiple classes of people rallying around Witte. State officials are behind Witte and their faces express enthusiasm and concern. The creator of this picture possibly believed that Witte was a leader of political change in the 1905 revolution.
This image of Witte is different from all the others. He is slender and wearing a refined suit and coat. He stands confidently while pointing up, possibly to heaven – signifying a higher calling – as an angel is ascending above him. The angel is almost naked and carrying a reef. As we discussed in class, naked women usually represented purity, innocence and liberty. In this image, unlike the others, the woman is not being defiled or attacked. Instead, she is making her ascension. I believe that the creator of this image believed Russia was being led by higher principles.
This image does not portray Witte as a man with higher principles. Instead, it portrays him as a puppet-master. While I do not recognize the people the puppets represent, their uniforms suggest that they are state and/or military leaders. This satire suggests that Witte and the political proceedings during the 1905 revolution were not as progressive as they seemed. All Russian politics was still controlled by its prior masters.