Take No Prisoners Caricature: Nikolai Remizov and the Revolution of 1905

Abstract

This article examines the brilliant caricatures by Nikolai Vladimirovich Remizov (Re-mi, born Vasil’ev, 1887–1975) for the Russian satirical journals of 1905–1907. This period marked the first stage of Remizov’s long career, when he emerged as one of the country’s most talented and well-known caricaturists. The article focuses on Remizov’s new, no-holds-barred satire depicting episodes of state-sponsored bloodletting. The satirical journals widely quoted the words of Dmitri Trepov to his troops during the October general strike “not to fire blanks and to spare no cartridges,” a phrase that became a tragi-comic mantra in the satirical journals. It also reflected the take-no-prisoners spirit of Remizov’s caricatures. Further, the article outlines Remizov’s subsequent participation in the few journals—in particular, Satirikon and Novyi Satirikon (New Satyricon)—that strove to keep the satirical tradition of 1905 alive. After the Bolshevik Revolution put a forcible end to these publications, Remizov emigrated, and later forged a long career in the United States as an art designer for stage, television and the big screen.