A New Hat, plate 45 from "The Best Days in Life"
Original title: A New Hat, plate 45 from "The Best Days in Life"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Ein neuer Hut' (A New Hat), made in 1845, stages a comic moment: a gentleman tries on a fashionable hat while two other men look on. The sheet belongs to the series 'Les Beaux Jours de la Vie' and was printed in black and white on newsprint.
Description
Three men crowd the space, with a wooden door behind them. On the left stands a figure in a dark coat and cap, the new hat in his hand. The other two wear black top hats and dark jackets; the middle one draws the eye with exaggerated features that read as caricature. Shading lifts the figures from the background, and the arrangement pulls toward the middle.
Context
During the 1840s Daumier drew the series 'Les Beaux Jours de la Vie' for the satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. These lithographs poke fun at everyday bourgeois life and cast an ironic eye on fashion and vanity. This sheet dates from March 6, 1845, and was printed as the second state on newsprint.
Impact
At first glance the overblown faces and the ironic caption hold your attention; you laugh and recognize the vanity of fashion. Subtle shading gives the scene something lively, almost theatrical.
Technique
For the lithograph, the image was drawn on a stone with greasy chalk and then transferred onto newsprint. The second state suggests corrections or reworking after the first pull.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)