← Honoré Daumier

A philosopher, from 'Types and features,' published in Le Charivari, June 8, 1864

Original title: A philosopher, from 'Types and features,' published in Le Charivari, June 8, 1864

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

June 8, 1864

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/4 × 8 9/16 in. (24.7 × 21.8 cm) Sheet: 11 11/16 × 11 1/4 in. (29.7 × 28.5 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

In 1864 Honoré Daumier published this lithograph: three men meet in a café. A bearded gentleman in a hat stands at the center, talking with a bottle and a corkscrew in his hands; two seated men with wine glasses listen. The print belongs to the series 'Types et Physionomies' and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari.

Description

A café interior with three men, the standing bearded man in a hat dominating the layout. He holds a bottle and a corkscrew; the two seated men around him each have a wine glass and look up at him. Behind the figures, other patrons and tables suggest the room and deepen the café atmosphere. The arrangement converges on the speaker in the middle, framed by his two listeners. Light areas and dark shadows alternate in the black-and-white lithograph, giving the figures physical presence.

Context

The print was made for Daumier's series 'Types et Physionomies', which ran in the satirical journal Le Charivari between 1864 and 1866. Daumier, known for his caricatures of Parisian daily life, here took aim at the bourgeois society of his time. The series focuses on everyday character types and their behavior; the 'philosopher' appears as an ironically drawn café-goer who gives himself airs of profundity. The lithograph was published on June 8, 1864, in a third state, suggesting the artist reworked it.

Impact

Because the figures are rendered realistically and the layout is clearly structured, the print feels immediate and close to life. The ironic exaggeration of the 'philosopher' into a forceful speaker with bottle and corkscrew has a quiet satirical appeal and makes the viewer smile. The strong black-and-white contrast further highlights the men's gestures and facial expressions.

Technique

The print was produced as a lithograph on newsprint, a common medium for Daumier's satirical prints. A revised version exists from the third of three states, indicating artistic refinement of the print. The process allows finely graded lines and nuanced gray tones that carry the details of the café scene.

AI-generated description text

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