← Honoré Daumier

Pardon, monsieur le directeur..., from "Naïvetés"

Original title: Pardon, monsieur le directeur..., from "Naïvetés"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

March 21, 1859

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint, second state of two (Delteil; Hazard & Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 8 7/16 × 10 5/16 in. (21.4 × 26.2 cm) Sheet: 10 5/8 × 13 13/16 in. (27 × 35.1 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart P. Feld, 1983

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier turns a meeting in a theatre office into comedy in this lithograph from the "Naïvetés" series, dated 21 March 1859. Two women kneel on the floor pleading with a seated director, while a door and a lettered wall identify the room. Printed on newsprint in shades of grey, the sheet is the second of two states.

Description

A man, presumably the director, sits behind a desk with a worried or startled expression. Facing him are two kneeling women dressed in the fashion of the 19th century, their long, wavy hats and full dark skirts spread around them. The seated figure wears a shirt and jacket. A door and a wall bearing lettering close off the space. Daumier draws the figures with comic exaggeration, as elsewhere in his caricatures, and French dialogue lines run beneath the image.

Context

Daumier produced the "Naïvetés" series in the late 1850s for the satirical journal Le Charivari. This sheet appeared within that series on 21 March 1859, taking aim at everyday naivety and social weakness. The artist was known for socially critical caricatures that often targeted the Parisian bourgeoisie and the world of the theatre. Typical misunderstandings and comic situations of contemporary life supplied the series with its subjects.

Impact

The exaggerated faces and the odd arrangement of the kneeling women before the director provoke laughter at once. Grey-tone printing sharpens the contrast and the dramatic feel. Caption and body language pull the viewer straight into the absurd predicament.

Technique

The sheet was printed as a lithograph on newsprint, a standard method for Daumier's satirical work. It survives as the second of two states, which points to later reworking of the printing plate. Lithography allowed the fine lines and shading used for the expressive faces and the detailed clothing.

AI-generated description text

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