'Joyless in the extreme' – I Object: Ian Hislop's Search for Dissent review

British Museum, London
The Private Eye editor has scoured history in search of objects and images that express dissent. But where’s the satire?

You know a joke’s in trouble when the audience needs to be told to laugh. Canned laughter would probably be going too far in a British Museum exhibition, so instead an enormous speech bubble, placed next to an 18th-century portrait of Louis XVI wearing a red liberty cap, gives us Ian Hislop’s assurance that it is funny.

“The saying ‘Ridicule kills’ is usually an exaggeration,” says the Private Eye editor. “Not for Louis XVI. They have taken a well-known picture of the king and shoved a revolutionary hat on it. The effect is comical as the great Louis XVI is made to look as if he is a supporter of the revolution. Not so funny for him though.”

Related: Ian Hislop on dissent: 'It's cathartic to say, "This is rubbish"'

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