Môssieu le concierge
Original title: Môssieu le concierge, from Croquis Parisiens, published in Le Charivari, November 25, 1856
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, 'Môssieu le concierge', in 1856 for the series 'Croquis Parisiens', published in the satirical journal Le Charivari. It shows a building caretaker settled comfortably in a chair, reading a book with his legs stretched out across a table. The sheet survives as the second state of two, as recorded by Delteil.
Description
Wearing a cap, the concierge has sunk into his chair, legs resting loosely on a table, and reads. Behind him a woman in an elegant dress works at a desk with obvious concentration. To the left stands a fireplace with a clock; above the main figure hangs a sign reading 'CONCIERGE'. The layout stretches wide, the rear areas kept more sketchy, and the light falls evenly across the whole surface.
Context
The print appeared in Le Charivari on 25 November 1856; for years Daumier supplied the journal with caricatures of everyday Paris life. In 'Croquis Parisiens' he took up recurring urban types and incidents, usually with a comic note. The concierge was among the familiar figures of big-city life, and drawing him played to stock notions of the time.
Impact
The humour comes from the concierge's exaggerated ease and from the contrast with the woman going about her work behind him. The calm arrangement steers the eye to the main figure's relaxed posture, sharpening the ironic distance from what is shown.
Technique
The image was printed as a lithograph: the drawing is laid on a stone with greasy chalk and then pulled. Daumier worked with thin lines and fine gradations, which here appear in a single colour and even brightness. This impression is the second of two states, documented in Delteil's catalogue.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)