Masher, Gigerl, gommeux: Séraphin de Chiképatan between fashion and social satire

Abstract

The article examines the movable book entitle Monsieur Séraphin de Chiképatan Natif de Gratin-les-Gommeux (Seine et Garonne.), the French 1894 edition by the Munich illustrator Lothar Meggendorfer. The volume, consisting of eight plates, characterised by a lever mechanism, in which the moving parts are set in motion by levers when a tab is pulled downwards. The contribution proposes an analysis of the figure of the masher – a synonym of the terms Gigerl and gommeux in the German and French editions – as a social and cultural typology of the late Nineteenth century. Through a detailed examination of the animated plates, the monochrome lithographic illustrations, and the verse texts by Ernest d’Hervilly, the article highlights how Meggendorfer constructs a scathing satire of the masher, portrayed as a failed womanizer, incapable of conforming to socio-economic codes, social conduct, and ideals of virility. The character of Séraphin de Chiképatan thus becomes a vehicle for critiquing phenomena of social emulation, emerging consumer culture, and ambiguities of gender and sexual orientation in the fin de siècle context. Finally, the essay situates the volume within Meggendorfer’s broader production, identifying iconographic and thematic affinities related to the figure of the masher, and confirming the uniqueness of Monsieur Séraphin de Chiképatan as the only publication entirely devoted to the figure of the awkward and inept bachelor.