Satirical Glimpses of the Cultural History of Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism as an alternative nutritional model is a controversial topic. Many contemporary arguments for and against a vegetarian way of life can be traced back to early discussions about vegetarianism in nineteenth-century media. This virtual exhibition sheds light on the first decades of the debate on meatless nutrition in German-speaking regions. In doing so, the exhibition adopts a special perspective: by examining vegetarianism as it is represented in caricatures, it is able to reconstruct the verbal and visual arguments used both in favor of as well as against the movement. The exhibition reflects upon the ambivalent public perception of vegetarianism at the time and, additionally, provides an amusing window into the wit and humor of the period.

Click here to read about the exhibition. The German version of this virtual exhibition can be found here.