Practical application for a diamond hypnotist, from 'News of the Day,' published in Le Charivari, January 24, 1860
Original title: Practical application for a diamond hypnotist, from 'News of the Day,' published in Le Charivari, January 24, 1860
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike the usual genre pieces of those years, this lithograph thrives on the clash of two registers: a man in a pepper-sack costume appears in the doorway, while a woman sits on a chair with a look of surprise. Honoré Daumier drew the sheet in 1860 for the satirical magazine Le Charivari; it survives in the second of three print states.
Description
A woman sits upright in the foreground, dressed in traditional clothing, her face revealing surprise or shock. Opposite her, in the doorway, a man in a conspicuous pepper-sack costume poses with an exaggerated, comic stance. Furniture and a wall hung with pictures fill the back of the room. The layout pushes toward the interaction between the two figures. The monochrome lithograph on newsprint distributes light evenly, without strong shadows.
Context
The sheet was published on January 24, 1860, in Le Charivari, the French satirical paper for which Daumier worked regularly. It belongs to the series 'News of the Day', which took up current social and political subjects. The title alludes to the contemporary enthusiasm for hypnosis and occult practices that was spreading in the second half of the 19th century.
Impact
The joke arises from the absurd combination of an everyday scene and an exaggerated costume. The woman's surprised reaction sharpens the contrast between expectation and reality. One smiles without the print being aggressive or didactic.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint, as was customary for satirical publications of the time. The present example is the second of three documented print states (Delteil). The process allowed fine lines and quick production for periodical printing.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)