La mère de la chanteuse, from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, December 27, 1856
Original title: La mère de la chanteuse, from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, december 27, 1856
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier drew this lithograph for his series Croquis Dramatiques, and it appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari on 27 December 1856; the print itself carries the date 27 November 1856. A singer is clasped in her mother's arms in a scene from the stage, with a man standing nearby.
Description
A woman in the foreground throws her arms around a second woman, who stands on the stage in a long dress holding a microphone. To one side a man follows the performance. Behind the figures a crowd of spectators presses in to watch, while a large window lets daylight fall into the hall. The print stays in shades of grey, and the drawing works with clear outlines.
Context
Daumier made the Croquis Dramatiques, the series to which this sheet belongs, for the Paris satirical paper Le Charivari. It was published on 27 December 1856, though the date inscribed in the image reads 27 November 1856. Many prints in the series caricature theatrical life and Parisian society; the relationship between mother and singer points to Daumier's eye for social roles and stage clichés.
Impact
The appearance feels both familiar and ironic, since the embrace takes place before an audience. The restrained greys and the uncluttered layout draw the eye to the figures and their gesture. Looking at the sheet, one takes the position of an observer and sees a private impulse exposed on the open stage.
Technique
What is at hand is a lithograph in the second state of two (Delteil). The sheet measures 25.6 × 35.3 cm, the image area 20.2 × 23.3 cm. It was printed from the greasy stone, which allows the fine lines and gradations of shading characteristic of Daumier's draughtsmanship.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)