← Honoré Daumier

Pardonnez-moi, ô mon Dieu!..., from Les Comédiens de Société, published in Le Charivari, April 3, 1858

Original title: Pardonnez-moi, ô mon Dieu!..., from Les Comédiens de Société, published in Le Charivari, April 3, 1858

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

April 3, 1858

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state (Delteil)

Dimensions

Sheet: 10 1/16 × 12 5/16 in. (25.5 × 31.3 cm) Image: 8 3/8 × 9 15/16 in. (21.3 × 25.3 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph "Verzeihen Sie mir, o mein Gott!..." appeared on April 3, 1858, in the satirical journal Le Charivari as part of the series Les Comédiens de Société. It depicts a kneeling woman in a white dress, her face buried in her hands, beside a man who watches her attentively. The print is a second state (Delteil), rendered in shades of gray on newsprint.

Description

A woman in a white dress kneels in the foreground, head bowed, hands covering her face—her posture conveys despair. A man in dark clothing stands to the side, looking down at her with an expression of concern or skepticism. A curtain in the background frames the scene and draws the two figures into focus. Frontal light emphasizes faces and hands, creating a dramatic mood. Below the image, French text reproduces the dialogue of the scene.

Context

The lithograph belongs to the series Les Comédiens de Société, which Daumier made for the satirical paper Le Charivari. This series explores hypocrisy and role-playing in the social life of the Second Empire. The accompanying dialogue makes clear that the woman is rehearsing her role as a repentant adulteress, while her husband, as spectator, comments on the action—an allusion to the theatricality of bourgeois morality. Daumier was known for his critical depictions of Parisian daily life and the political and social conditions of his time.

Impact

The contrast between the woman's dramatic pose and the man's detached attitude, commenting on it all as if it were a play, defines the print's impact. Subtle shading and frontal lighting give the scene an intimate yet ironic note. The viewer is drawn into the ambiguity of the emotions shown and recognizes in them a satirical critique of social role-playing.

Technique

For this print Daumier chose lithography on newsprint, a common technique for satirical press graphics at the time. Lithography allowed him fine gradations of light and shadow that give the figures depth. The existence of a second state (Delteil) points to revisions of the stone that were necessary for publication in Le Charivari.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)