The Country Appreciates the Ideal Postman

The Country Appreciates the Ideal Postman is a photomontage. A horse's head, with a white blaze and wearing a halter, is personified in an oval photo. Dressed in a postman's uniform, a cap hides the ears and a medal is pinned on the chest. Despite being hijacked by the addition of the equine figure, the image is reminiscent of a well known photo of Postman Cheval taken in 1905. Here, the artists make a play on words to turn the postman into a horse. In spite of its absurdity, the piece is still a tribute. "Au Facteur Idéal, la Patrie Reconnaissante" (The Country Appreciates the Postman's Work) is written on the portrait. This wording is typically used in French to laud the merits of great people. Since 1837, the same wording was used below the pediment of the Panthéon, and indeed Ferdinand Cheval used it on the Ideal Palace: Aux grands hommes, la patrie reconnaissante (The country appreciates great people).