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Soulouque trouvant qu'à Paris, la location des cases est beaucoup trop chère

Original title: Soulouque trouvant qu'à Paris, la location des cases est beaucoup trop chère, from Actualités, published in Le Charivari, April 9, 1859

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

April 9, 1859

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint

Dimensions

Image: 8 15/16 × 10 9/16 in. (22.7 × 26.8 cm) Sheet: 11 3/4 × 11 7/16 in. (29.8 × 29.1 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier took aim at Haitian Emperor Faustin Soulouque in April 1859: in this lithograph, he has him complain about Paris rents being far too high. The political caricature appeared in the magazine Le Charivari.

Description

A man with distorted features, a prominent nose, and a hat-like appendage that resembles a grotesque mask carries a suitcase. Beside him stands a woman in a long dress, also caricatured. Trees and buildings form the backdrop, including a sign reading 'APART'. The street is lined with trees, rendered in black and white.

Context

Published on April 9, 1859, in Le Charivari, the print addresses the tight housing situation in Paris during the Second Empire. The figure of Soulouque, who was emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859, offered a satirical outlet for social criticism.

Impact

The exaggerated faces and absurd situation are both comic and critical. They bring the social tensions of the era into view without obscuring the message.

Technique

Lithograph on newsprint, a common process for satirical prints in the 19th century. The technique allowed for fine lines and rapid reproduction for the mass market.

AI-generated description text

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