This 1916 page from La Baïonnette, illustrated by Jacques Nam, presents a compact allegory of wartime transformation. In the upper panel, Médor lies at ease, a domestic companion guarding private virtue. Below, the same dog stands alert and watchful, recast as a sentinel of national duty. The caption makes the shift explicit: “Before, I guarded Ninette’s virtue. Now, I guard the honor of France.”
Simple and striking, the image reflects how war quietly redraws the boundaries between private life and public obligation. Loyalty, once personal and familiar, is redefined as a national resource.
Without depicting battle or heroics, the cartoon captures the moral logic of total war, where even everyday symbols are pressed into service.
This 1916 page from La Baïonnette, illustrated by Jacques Nam, presents a compact allegory of wartime transformation. In the upper panel, Médor lies at ease, a domestic companion guarding private virtue. Below, the same dog stands alert and watchful, recast as a sentinel of national duty. The caption makes the shift explicit: “Before, I guarded Ninette’s virtue. Now, I guard the honor of France.”
Simple and striking, the image reflects how war quietly redraws the boundaries between private life and public obligation. Loyalty, once personal and familiar, is redefined as a national resource.
Without depicting battle or heroics, the cartoon captures the moral logic of total war, where even everyday symbols are pressed into service.
