Statues of the Future, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, April 29, 1868
Original title: Statues of the Future, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, April 29, 1868
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier set three inventors on pedestals, each armed with the weapon of his own invention. This lithograph from 29 April 1868 belongs to the series 'Nachrichten des Tages' and appeared in the satirical magazine Le Charivari. It was printed in black and white on newsprint.
Description
On the left, a capped figure stands on his pedestal, pistol in hand, labelled 'PULYCARPE BOMBARDARD'. In the middle, also capped, 'EUSTACHE FUSILLARD' poses with a firearm. On the right, someone in a uniform jacket has planted himself beside a cannon and goes by 'BARNABE MITRALLARD'. The arrangement is deliberately overdone: crisp outlines and hard shadows of the kind lithography produces.
Context
Daumier drew this sheet for Le Charivari, a paper known for its political and social caricature. It came out on 29 April 1868, during the Second Empire under Napoleon III, when press freedom was curtailed. Without naming any real person, the caricature mocks the era's cult of the inventor and its military build-up. The names are made up and play on branches of weaponry.
Impact
The lofty pose of a monument set against the silly props beside it makes a comic contradiction. In this way the print exposes the delusions of grandeur attached to technical invention. Clean lines give it a bold, easily remembered impact.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint, which was then laid down on wove paper. This is the second state of two (Delteil). The process allows the fine shading and precise contours characteristic of Daumier's prints.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)