← Honoré Daumier

Visite aux Tentes des Turcos...., from Au Camp de Saint-Maur, published in Le Charivari, August 13, 1859

Original title: Visite aux Tentes des Turcos...., from Au Camp de Saint-Maur, published in Le Charivari, August 13, 1859

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

August 13, 1859

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of four (Delteil; Hazard & Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 7/8 × 9 1/16 in. (25.1 × 23 cm) Sheet: 11 3/4 × 11 7/16 in. (29.8 × 29.1 cm)

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike the other sheets in Daumier's camp series, this 1859 lithograph focuses on an encounter between individual figures rather than military routine. It belongs to 'Au Camp de Saint-Maur' and appeared on 13 August 1859 in Le Charivari. A group of people is seen meeting in a tent camp.

Description

In the foreground, a man in a top hat and jacket leans down toward a seated woman, as if a farewell is imminent. Behind them, other figures are scattered between and in front of the tents, suggesting camp life. The image remains black and white, with densely worked figures and a precisely outlined setting. The layout feels animated; strong contrasts of light and dark deepen the space.

Context

The print dates from the time of the 1859 Sardinian War, when French units were deployed in northern Italy. Near Paris, at Saint-Maur, there was a camp that served the army as a training and assembly ground. For the satirical magazine Le Charivari, which regularly published his political and social caricatures, Daumier created the series 'Au Camp de Saint-Maur'. The title names the 'Turcos', the Algerian riflemen of the French army who were stationed there.

Impact

Delicate lines and clear contrasts give the sheet an immediate, lively quality. The pain of parting and the ordinary bustle of the camp blend into each other, engaging the viewer emotionally. Daumier's drawing lends the historical moment a human side that is not bound to its time.

Technique

The work was executed as a lithograph on newsprint, in the second of four states. This process allowed for graduated shading and rapid reproduction for publication in a magazine. Daumier used it to bring out his figures with confident strokes and differentiated gray values.

AI-generated description text

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