The assembly in Versailles: In January –Wretched winter!... In June –Scoundrel of a summer!...
Original title: The assemby in Versailles: In January –Wretched winter!... In June –Scoundrel of a summer!...
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's 1872 lithograph caricatures two figures set against a landscape. The print belongs to a series that takes aim at the political assembly in Versailles. It was printed on newsprint and is the second state of two (Delteil).
Description
A man in a dark suit and tall cap stands facing a woman, visibly uncomfortable, one hand pointing behind him. She leans forward in a long, flowing gown, holding something in her hand. Behind them, mountains and clouds are faintly indicated. The arrangement feels unbalanced: the figures sit at the center, heavily exaggerated. Light falls evenly, without strong shadows, as is typical of lithography.
Context
The print was made on June 22, 1872, shortly after the Franco-Prussian War and in the early years of the Third French Republic. Because the National Assembly met at Versailles at the time, Daumier took up this situation in several caricatures. The caption alludes to discontent with the weather, which can be read as a comment on the political climate. The work was published in a newspaper supplement on newsprint.
Impact
The exaggerated poses and ironic caption give the caricature a humorous tone, but one undercut with criticism. The man's uneasy posture and the woman's forward lean create a comic tension that highlights the absurdity of the situation. The plain black-and-white execution keeps the focus on the figures and their gestures.
Technique
For this lithograph, Daumier drew with chalk on the stone and then printed the result on newsprint. The second state (Delteil) suggests possible revisions from the first. The line work follows the lithographic process: fine strokes and an even distribution of tone without strong contrasts.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)