Graphic image and public projection of Benito Pérez Galdós in the press at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

Due to the importance, even in his time, of Benito Pérez Galdós, caricatures and iconographies were dedicated to him to honor him, like many other authors. According to Mainer, this supposes belonging to a canon and a positive aspect in public projection, despite the fact that the figure is treated with humor and some myth. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, caricatures and engravings were the only images that were seen in the press of the authors, the only thing that the public received. Galdós was caricatured according to his literary and critical work and according to his ideology, although the satirical press also used his image humorously. Thus, this article reviews the different graphic and pictorial representations of the Canarian writer in the press at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, which show how he was seen at each moment, according to his publications and the tastes of the public.