Mr. et Mme. Prudhomme revenant de la foire..., from Croquis Parisiens, published in Le Charivari, April 18, 1857
Original title: Mr. et Mme. Prudhomme revenant de la foire..., from Croquis Parisiens, published in Le Charivari, April 18, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
A man and a woman stand in a busy market, each with a cigarette and a startled look on their face. Honoré Daumier drew this scene in 1857 as a lithograph for the series 'Croquis Parisiens'; the print appeared on 18 April 1857 in Le Charivari and is represented here by the second of two states.
Description
A gentleman in a black suit, striped shirt and black cap holds a cigarette and stares in bewilderment. Close beside him stands a woman in a long dark coat and head covering, also smoking and wearing much the same astonished expression. Other figures and market stalls crowd around the pair, giving the impression of brisk activity. The two occupy the middle of the sheet; light falls evenly, and the caricatural style lives off the exaggerated faces.
Context
In 1857 Daumier worked regularly for the satirical newspaper Le Charivari. In the 'Croquis Parisiens' series he took up scenes of everyday Parisian life, often poking humorous fun at bourgeois types. The Prudhomme couple recurs throughout his work, parodying the smug petty bourgeois.
Impact
The overdone expressions and the contrasting clothes of the two are comic and ironic at once. Because the couple stands so centrally, the eye goes straight to their reactions, and the sheet invites a smile.
Technique
The print was made as a lithograph: drawing with greasy chalk on a stone. Daumier used fine strokes and hatching to work up the clothing and faces. The absence of an even distribution of light and shadow is characteristic of his lithographs of that period.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)