In this 1891 Judge cover by Bernhard Gillam, titled “The Duet of the Saint and the Sinner,” a monk and a court jester—moral opposites by design—attempt to play from the same sheet of music. The pairing is deliberately absurd: sanctity and spectacle staged side by side, forced into a single performance.
The joke is visual and direct. Harmony is announced rather than achieved, and agreement appears as display rather than order. By setting the saint and the sinner together, Gillam turns cooperation into farce, suggesting that unity proclaimed across incompatible roles is more theater than governance.
Casewrap sewn binding | Vibrant, crisp vintage tones | Ruled | 5x7 in.
In this 1891 Judge cover by Bernhard Gillam, titled “The Duet of the Saint and the Sinner,” a monk and a court jester—moral opposites by design—attempt to play from the same sheet of music. The pairing is deliberately absurd: sanctity and spectacle staged side by side, forced into a single performance.
The joke is visual and direct. Harmony is announced rather than achieved, and agreement appears as display rather than order. By setting the saint and the sinner together, Gillam turns cooperation into farce, suggesting that unity proclaimed across incompatible roles is more theater than governance.
Casewrap sewn binding | Vibrant, crisp vintage tones | Ruled | 5x7 in.
