← Honoré Daumier

The mother of the actress, from 'Dramatic sketches,' published in Le Charivari, July 2, 1864

Original title: The mother of the actress, from 'Dramatic sketches,' published in Le Charivari, July 2, 1864

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

July 2, 1864

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Overall: 9 3/4 x 10 13/16 in. (24.8 x 27.4 cm) image: 9 7/16 x 8 7/16 in. (23.9 x 21.5 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Barbara Ivins, 1983

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'The Actress's Mother' was published in 'Le Charivari' on July 2, 1864. It belongs to the 'Dramatic Sketches' series and presents a theater scene with an older woman and a young performer. The print is the second of two states (Delteil).

Description

On the left stands an older woman in dark clothing and a traditional headdress; she looks upward, her posture worried, almost pleading. Beside her on the right is a younger woman holding a flower, also gazing up, her expression wavering between surprise and disappointment. High above, two figures appear to have been tossed into the air—a nod to the stage performance. The audience forms a row of small, uniform figures filling the back of the image.

Context

Daumier created the 'Dramatic Sketches' series for the satirical magazine 'Le Charivari', where he regularly published caricatures. The print dates from the era of Napoleon III, when Parisian theater life stood at the center of urban culture. Within this series, Daumier repeatedly explored the tension between stage and audience as well as the social roles of actresses.

Impact

A peculiar tension runs through the print: the mother's private worry meets the public sphere of the theater. The two women in the foreground stand out clearly from the anonymous mass of spectators, making the gap between individual feeling and collective experience palpable. The clear layout directs the viewer's gaze specifically to the two women and their different reactions.

Technique

Lithograph on newsprint—in this process, a grease crayon is used to draw on a stone, which is then printed. The black-and-white execution matches Daumier's printmaking practice of those years. Precise lines and graduated hatching demonstrate the artist's technical confidence in lithography.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)