Le Parisien..., from Ces Bons Parisiens
Original title: Le Parisien..., from Ces Bons Parisiens, published in Le Charivari, November 26, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
An elegant Parisian in a top hat and carrying a cane meets a country dweller in a field—a chance encounter Honoré Daumier captured in a lithograph in 1857. This print belongs to the series 'Ces Bons Parisiens' and appeared in the satirical magazine Le Charivari.
Description
On the left stands a gentleman in a suit, top hat, and cane; on the right, a peasant in simple clothes with a cap and bag. The two men are deep in conversation. Around them, several cows graze in a meadow, with a barren rural landscape behind. Below the scene, the figures' dialogue is printed in French.
Context
For the satirical journal Le Charivari, famous for its socially critical caricatures, Daumier created the series 'Ces Bons Parisiens'. The lithograph was made during the Second Empire under Napoleon III, an era of modernization and social tensions in France. Daumier often took up the contrasts between city and country people.
Impact
The meeting of an urban flâneur and a peasant worker creates an ironic tension, heightened by the appended dialogue. The barren landscape pushes the two figures and their interaction to the fore, making the social comedy stand out clearly.
Technique
The print was produced as a lithograph on newsprint—a common process for caricatures in the 19th century. This is the second state of two (Delteil), suggesting later revisions or additions to the printing plate.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)