Caricature of the Omnibus, 1830

Omnibus et Draisienne in La Caricature, anonyme, 1830, Réunion des musées nationaux

Omnibus services in Paris in 1828 promised to offer "wide scale commercial public transit," and purportedly did not restrict customers by class- they only required a minimal service fee. Though they were primarily used by the middle-class, the caricature above seems to reveal a certain fear that this would not the fate of the omnibus. Created only two years after the emergence of omnibus services, this caricature seems to address the issues and paradoxes of a public, "classless" omnibus rather directly.

The caricature immediately conveys a certain sense of confusion- How many people can the omnibus sit? Can people sit comfortably? Can people from every class really ride together? The image shows several people sitting on top of the carriage: Perhaps in contrast to private carriages, the public carriage would be more open, the people more visible. One man in black, however, looks fairly uncomfortable. His knees are raised up, suggesting space is cramped- How would personal space be regulated upon public omnibuses? A figure at the front dressed in white, however, chooses to let his legs drape over the front of the carriage and appears to be a child (possibly raising questions about the safety of omnibuses for their riders). Another quite robust fellow in black has opted to hang unto the side of the bus and appears to be making some effort at pulling himself in the cabin- Would all riders willingly pay a fee?

The flâneur Tome Onzième offered a particularly colorful description of the omnibus in 1832: "The omnibus is life, the world, the public, man- everything, in short; its Latin name tells you so." Indeed, omnibus in latin means "for all," and there were indeed no seating divisions based upon class. On a less philosophic note, he described his journey between the Barrière du Trône to the Barrière de l'Étoile exclaiming, "Benumbed with heavy jolting, which vibrated through my limbs long after I had left the carriages, in which for two successive hours I had been shaken and knocked about, I wrote this conscious account of my journey." Indeed, the tilt of the omnibus in the image above along with its wobbling wheels does give the impression that its riders were being shaken a fair bit.

Onzième proceeds to offer insight into the function of the omnibus as a center of watching and being watched. "In an omnibus," he writes, "you find the most perfect comedy, the soul-stirring drama, the witty vaudeville, and broad farce, that would win a laugh from even Heraclitus... all a thousand times more perfect and interesting than at the Théâtre Français.... This moving theater requires no prompter; nature herself performs the office. Nor do the actors wear paint or disguise. They are spectators of each other's performance."

Indeed, in the caricature above, the figures do appear to be performers in a certain farce as they move toward the wagon, try to climb on, and as they look at one another.

That this caricature is a color image provides some evidence regarding to the class and professions of these various riders and onlookers. The man to the right of the carriage in red, for instance, would seem to be some member of the military or upper class- Is he merely looking at the carriage, or is he intending to ride it as well? If so, where will he sit? If he is in the military, might it be acceptable for him to use this type of transportation?

Ultimately, the carriage appears to be upon the brink of toppling over. It would seem the artist is not inclined to believe the omnibus project will be a successful endeavor.

The Interior of an Omnibus, 1829

Un banc d'omnibus, Gravure, 1829

Unlike the previous caricature from 1830, the above engraving from 1829 offers a unique perspective into the experience of riding inside an omnibus and social spaces it created. Moreover, the image is less exageratted and perhaps provides a more nuanced portrayal of the social environment of the omnibus.

A foremost feature in the image is the conductor of the omnibus approaching the police officer, presumably asking for fare. In a certain sense, this would appear to suggest the pubic, classless omnibus somehow changed, or even upset, traditional social relationships: The police officer is certainly not in charge of this scene. He is alert, but at rest upon the bench. The conductor, arm outstretched, is clearly in control of this scene.

Indeed, Walter Benjamin mentions omnibuses in The Arcades Project on several occasions. Citing Victor Fournel from 1858: "The omnibus seems to subdue and to still all who approach it." Social relationships were perhaps blurred by this subduing effect, traditional power relationships altered in small, but meaningful, ways. While the caricature from 1830 seems to suggest the omnibus actually enlivened those approaching it, it did remain a center of focus, and yet the 1829 engraving, however, perhaps captures the "stilling" affect of the omnibus. The people are watching one another: They are not in movement.

To the immediate right of the police officer are a woman and a man, both of whom appear to be listening to (or at least watching) another woman in a bonnet speak as she watches her child. Between the listeners and the child are another man and a separate woman passively sitting. The mans arms are crossed, his position somewhat cramped. He appears to be watching the woman and child out of the corner of his eyes, somewhat disapprovingly. Indeed, despite her physical proximity, the sounds of talking (and probably the sound of her child) is invading his auditory space. Yet, for the speaking woman, the bonnet serves as a sort of spacial tunnel. She does not appear to be capable of seeing the man.

Their understandings of the space of this train are quite different. For the man, she is invading his space. The woman, however, does not appear to share his understanding of space. This is the central tension of this photo and, in some sense, of public space more generally: How can people ever share the same understandings of space? How can they see spaces in the same way?

Generally, the image above does seem to illustrate Onzième's notion that the omnibus is a stage and passengers "are spectators of each other's performance." The man furthest to the right is certainly watching the girl rather intently with a reprieving glare.

Another interesting feature of this photo is the gender distribution. There appear to be 6 females, including the child, and 5 males. Apparently the engraver envisoned the omnibus as a relatively "gender neutral" space: The males do not appear to be taking up more space than the women nor are they occupying more desirable or comfortable spaces. They are all relatively cramped, sharing the same bench.