The Cartoon That Didn't Make the Cut

The Louvre Surrenders

Here’s a mid-week cartoon that I canned due to my own internal censorship.

This morning, I woke up to the news that yesterday the Louvre shut down due to frustration with crowd sizes. In my own selfish way, I silently hoped that it was still shuttered leading to prime cartoon fodder. I’m not that desperate for topics… and it was only a silent hope… but a surrendering flag in France would work nicely as a cartoon prop.

They got their act together, the panic receded, and they quickly reopened. I liked the gag and was motivated to sketch it out as a cartoon for my folder labeled No One Would Print This But Drawn For My Own Amusement Anyway.

Several reasons why not to distribute it through my syndicate... One, I know WWII was a long time ago, but is it still too early for France surrendering jokes? Two, they were back open quickly enough to make it a non-topic (yet here I am, right?). Three, and the biggest reason, it’s a zoo there and the frustration with swarming tourists is understandable.

We visited last September with friends, and this was one of our few pre-scheduled excursions. Fortunately, we hired a guide to move us through the lines and crowds as quickly as possible giving us time to tour the masters.

Pictured here is the line to get into the line that’s on the level below to actually enter the museum…

A few more pictures of the crowds; note that this was after the summer tourist season. The bottom right image is of the Mona Lisa… not a postcard of the Mona Lisa.

We safely escaped the throngs and caught our breath overlooking the Seine.

If you visit, and I would still recommend it, here’s a tip for seeing the Mona Lisa, assuming you visit before it gets moved to its own dedicated space. Our guide took us along the right side of the room, while most of the crowd was following the-shortest-distance-is-a-straight-line mentality proceeding directly into the center of the horde. In a short time, we were on the right-hand front edge and captured the inset picture.

More tips, if you go, pre-hydrate, condition yourself before traveling by finding random lines to stand in, and don’t be the ugly American,… but still expect plenty of French eyerolls and a few sacrebleu’s.