Tiens, regarde cette caisse...., elle renferme les envoyés Américains qui se rendent a Pékin!....
Original title: Tiens, regarde cette caisse...., elle renferme les envoyés Américains qui se rendent a Pékin!...., from En Chine, published in Le Charivari, October 4, 1859
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's 1859 lithograph pairs two figures in the foreground, one of them sheltered under a broad Asian parasol. Behind them rolls a wooden cart or box, escorted by a crowd. The caption refers to American envoys on their way to Peking.
Description
Up front stand two people in Asian dress: one holds a large round sunshade, the other wears a look of surprise or distress. Behind them a crowd lines the route, as though taking part in a procession or ceremony, and a big wooden box on wheels is carried along. Everything is black and white, evenly lit, with crisp outlines. The exaggerated faces give the whole a comic, caricatural edge.
Context
The print appeared on 4 October 1859 in the French satirical journal Le Charivari, as part of the series 'En Chine'. It mocks the United States' diplomatic mission to China that took place the same year. Daumier seized on current politics to lampoon the China policies of Europe and America.
Impact
The overstated expression of the front figure catches the eye first, then the parasol pulls the gaze upward. The odd arrangement of figures and cart creates an ironic distance from the event. Diplomats travelling in a wooden crate is absurd and invites a smile, while it also underlines how alien the cultures seem to each other.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint, a standard process for satirical sheets of the day. Daumier drew with chalk on the stone, which allowed fine gradations and precise lines. This is the second of three states (Delteil).
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)