Lucien METIVET (1863 - 1932) - Lot 25

Lucien METIVET (1863 - 1932) L'AGRACH Ink and charcoal signed lower left, titled and captioned : MISCHTONZALAMANK ! ONAN - VERRAT - DON PAHUN - KABUL - RAHUNLOUIS - POSEUR DE LA PINTADE - MACROCOSME - OH ! POLYTE A scholar linguist communicates to us this very beautiful example of "agrach" noted by him at the Folies Bouvières 26 x 23 cm Bibliography : Le Rire n°140 (1905) reproduced on the cover page (in colour) Note : The term "agrach" refers to a kind of gibberish which had a certain success at the beginning of the 1900s. It is said to have originated in a groundless gibberish used by a vagrant arrested in 1905 who mystified an investigating judge. The latter appointed linguists to translate the vagrant's words. This news item had a certain resonance and amused Métivet who published this drawing. The term was later used by Feydeau in his play "Je ne trompe pas mon mari" (I don't cheat on my husband).