A Country House Near Paris: --Well, my dear... it's a good thing we had the idea to plant a house. Without it, we wouldn't have had shade all summer!
Original title: A Country House Near Paris: --Well, my dear... it's a good thing we had the idea to plant a house. Without it, we wouldn't have had shade all summer! from The Pleasures of a Country Holiday, published in Le Charivari
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier takes up a scene of bourgeois country life in this 1858 lithograph: a man sits laughing on a sofa while a woman stands facing him. The print belongs to the series Les Plaisirs de la Villégiature and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari.
Description
A living room sets the stage: a man sits laughing on a sofa while a woman in a dress stands before him, evidently addressing him. Behind the two, a window with shutters opens onto a garden with trees and a wall. The figures occupy the foreground, the landscape excerpt behind them; light falling from outside highlights the people and the interior. The reproduction remains black and white, with a draughtsmanlike, detailed stroke and visible lines.
Context
This lithograph was made on 24 May 1858 as part of the series Les Plaisirs de la Villégiature (The Pleasures of a Country Stay), published in the Parisian satirical journal Le Charivari. In it Daumier mocked the bourgeois summer holiday and common notions of country life. The sheet survives in the second state of two (Delteil) and was printed on newsprint.
Impact
Because everyday interior and satirical commentary come together here, the scene feels immediate and memorable. The humorously drawn couple creates a cheerful, almost caricatural mood that invites a smile.
Technique
A lithograph on newsprint is at hand, a process typical of Daumier's series. Precise lines and fine hatching accentuate forms and lighting conditions. The print is recorded in the second state (Delteil 2 of 2).
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)