What the bourgeois calls a slight distraction, from 'The good bourgeois,' published in "Le Charivari"
Original title: What the bourgeois calls a slight distraction, from 'The good bourgeois,' published in "Le Charivari"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Was der Bourgeois eine kleine Zerstreuung nennt' (What the bourgeois calls a little distraction) is dated 30 August 1846 and shows two men reading newspapers in a bare interior. It belongs to the series 'Die guten Bürger' (The Good Bourgeois) and appeared in the satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. This black-and-white print on wove paper is the second state of two.
Description
A formally dressed man sits on a chair, absorbed in a newspaper; beside him stands a gentleman in a black suit and top hat, also holding a paper. A dark round opening, reminiscent of a window or gate, closes off the background. On two chairs lie a cap and another newspaper, underscoring the room's bareness. The monochrome lithograph uses graduated greys; light falling from the front emphasizes faces and newspapers. The caricatural manner gives the image a humorous, satirical edge.
Context
Daumier made this sheet in 1846, when he was working regularly for 'Le Charivari', a Parisian satirical journal known for political and social caricature. With the series 'Die guten Bürger' he criticized the self-satisfaction and narrow-mindedness of the French bourgeoisie during the July Monarchy. Lithography served him as a medium for combining everyday scenes with social satire; the sheet appeared as part of an ongoing series.
Impact
The image evokes an amused yet thoughtful mood by presenting the bourgeois routine of reading the newspaper as a seemingly meaningless distraction. The reduced layout and the concentrated figures draw the eye to the ironic message without being insistent. The caricature feels timeless because it takes up the absurdity of everyday habits.
Technique
The work is executed as a lithograph on wove paper: in this printing process, one draws with greasy chalk on a stone and then prints from it. Daumier worked in a second state, which suggests later changes to the printing plate, as documented in the Delteil catalogue raisonné. The greys arise from different shades of lithographic chalk, which allow fine gradations of light and shadow.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)