This print features the profile of a circus ringmaster, a figure generally known in France as “Monsieur Loyal,” in reference to the Loyal family, a renowned lineage of nineteenth-century French circus owners. Critics of the period found a strong resemblance between Matisse’s ringmaster, with his distinguished nose, and General Charles de Gaulle, often represented in the press during World War II. Indeed, as scholar Rebecca Rabinow noted, the rich blue background, accented with yellow and gold circles, might serve as a visual echo of a general’s uniform, with gold buttons, worn by de Gaulle.