To imagine that there are people who even travel in winter for fun and enjoyment!
Original title: To imagine that there are people who even travel in winter for fun and enjoyment!, from 'Winter sketches,' published in Le Petit Journal pour Rire, December 3, 1864
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph for his "Winter Sketches" series. Four weary travellers sit in a gloomy room, heads hanging; the print appeared on 3 December 1864 in Le Petit Journal pour Rire and pokes fun at the craze for winter pleasure trips.
Description
Four exaggerated figures crowd the interior of a room. On the left stands someone in a cap and jacket, in the middle a figure in a top hat and apron, on the right another capped and jacketed traveller; the fourth, smaller figure also wears a head covering. Drooping heads and heavy-lidded eyes betray exhaustion. Dim light enters from the left, picking out contours and shadows, while an undefined dark ground pushes the figures forward.
Context
In 1864 Daumier was working for the satirical magazine Le Petit Journal pour Rire. This lithograph belongs to the "Winter Sketches" sequence, which weighs the hardships of winter travel against bourgeois amusement. Daumier used lithography for social criticism and everyday satire, and a December publication landed right in the winter season.
Impact
Comedy and sympathy stay in balance: the exaggerated faces and postures amuse, yet the drudgery of travelling comes through. The subdued light and dark room give the scene a melancholy undertone.
Technique
Lithograph on newsprint, third state of three (Delteil). The process allows the delicate lines and gradations characteristic of Daumier's style. Printing on newspaper stock suited the satirical press of the day and reached a wide public.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)