Des dames d'un demi-monde, mais n'ayant pas de demi-jupes, from Actualités, published in Le Charivari, May 11, 1855
Original title: Des dames d'un demi-monde, mais n'ayant pas de demi-jupes, from Actualités, published in Le Charivari, May 11, 1855
kurzbeschreibung
A fashionably dressed woman sits atop a horse-drawn carriage in this lithograph by Honoré Daumier, part of the 'Actualités' series and published in 'Le Charivari' on 11 May 1855. The print pokes fun at the era's women's fashion and the demi-monde life of the Second French Republic.
Description
A woman in an elaborate, wide-skirted dress with many layers and ruffles has taken her place on a carriage drawn by a horse. She turns her head back, reins in hand. Behind her, another horse-drawn carriage is visible. The black-and-white drawing stands out for its careful, detailed linework. The layout feels symmetrical: the woman in the foreground, the carriage in the background.
Context
Daumier brought out this lithograph in the satirical journal 'Le Charivari', famous for its political and social caricatures. The 'Actualités' series took up current events and social phenomena of the 1850s, including fashion and the public appearance of courtesans. The title plays ironically on the term 'demi-monde' coined by Alexandre Dumas fils, as well as on the then-fashionable 'half-skirts' (jupes).
Impact
The precise detail drawing and the ironic caption give the sheet an elegant yet mocking tone. The woman's overloaded clothing contrasts with the seemingly everyday scene, creating a comic but also critical distance from the figure shown.
Technique
For this lithograph, Daumier drew with a greasy crayon on a limestone block. The sheet is in the second state of two (Delteil) and shows a fine, detail-rich line. The sheet measures 24.8 × 32.8 cm, the image format 19.2 × 25.3 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)