Ne laissez donc pas vôtre ami dans cet état-là!..., plate 4 from "Vulgarités"
Original title: Ne laissez donc pas vôtre ami dans cet état-là!..., plate 4 from "Vulgarités"
kurzbeschreibung
Made on 1 June 1841, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier belongs to the series "Vulgarités" and carries the title "Ne laissez donc pas vôtre ami dans cet état-là!...". Across three figures it stages a street scene in shades of grey, with a comic edge throughout.
Description
Three people are spread along a street: at the left a woman in traditional dress holding a stick, in the middle a gentleman in an elegant suit and top hat looking her way, and at the right a man lying on the ground in plain, nearly threadbare clothes, his face tired or worn out. A town setting of buildings and a lightly clouded sky closes off the view behind them. The layout is lopsided, since the fallen man is pushed toward the right edge. Light falls evenly, with no strong shadows or contrasts.
Context
The "Vulgarités" series appeared in the 1840s, when Daumier was regularly supplying lithographs to satirical journals such as Le Charivari. The series took up everyday social weaknesses and comic situations of bourgeois life. The caption "Ne laissez donc pas vôtre ami dans cet état là! - Ça mon ami!... c'est mon portier" frames the scene as a humorous incident.
Impact
Caricatural drawing and a sharp caption together produce a mix of humour and social criticism. The figures come across as lively and typed, which draws a smile from the viewer while also making social differences felt.
Technique
For this lithograph Daumier drew with a greasy crayon on a limestone block, from which the print was then pulled. The execution stays in monochrome greys; fine strokes and hatching give the figures and the urban surroundings detailed contours.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)