Danger de Porter des Jupes-Ballons, Plate 26 of La Crinolomanie, published in le Charivari, April 3, 1857
Original title: Danger de Porter des Jupes-Ballons, Plate 26 of La Crinolomanie, published in le Charivari, April 3, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
A billowing fabric balloon drives a group of passersby down the street in this 1857 lithograph by Honoré Daumier. The print belongs to his series La Crinolomanie and appeared in the satirical journal le Charivari on 3 April 1857.
Description
People dressed in the fashion of the day are thrown into disarray as an enormous, swollen fabric balloon whirls after them. Some grab at it, others dodge, and still others take flight—creating a restless, threatening confusion. A street with houses in the background sets the scene. The tones remain mostly gray, as was usual for lithographs of those years.
Context
With La Crinolomanie, Daumier offered a satirical commentary on a fashion phenomenon that shaped France in the 1850s: the wide hoop skirt. The prints were published in le Charivari, a daily newspaper known for political and social caricature. The cycle targets the pitfalls and absurdities of the oversized skirts, which restricted the wearers' movement and repeatedly led to accidents.
Impact
Comedy and menace lie close together here, for the gigantic balloon seems ready to engulf the passersby at any moment. The frantic movement and the panicked reactions of the figures carry the humorous yet critical undertone of the caricature.
Technique
Bold crayon on limestone, reproduced by planographic printing—that is how the lithographic impression is made. The tonal values arise from the varying density of the ink application, while thin strokes capture the details of figures and architecture. This very technique allowed the rapid and inexpensive reproduction needed for printing in a daily newspaper.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)