← Honoré Daumier

Once more the horsemeat amateurs, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, April 10, 1865

Original title: Once more the horsemeat amateurs, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, April 10, 1865

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

April 10, 1865

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (23.5 × 21 cm) Sheet: 11 7/8 × 9 1/16 in. (30.2 × 23 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this black-and-white print on newsprint in April 1865, presenting two men in conversation about their working situation. The sheet belongs to the series 'News of the day' and appeared in the satirical magazine Le Charivari. Kept as a caricature, it joins picture and dialogue into a pointed snapshot.

Description

Two figures face each other on the page: on the left a gentleman in a top hat and coat, his left arm folded, on the right a figure in a hat and jacket who turns his back to the viewer. Both are deep in conversation. A dialogue runs along the bottom: 'Mon pauvre camarade je crois que nous ferions bien de chercher une autre profession. - Oui.....nous voila' arretés dans notre carrière.' The arrangement stays plain and recalls a printed newspaper page; black and white dominates the motif, and the structure of the figures and the grain of the paper stand out clearly.

Context

The lithograph was made in 1865 for Le Charivari, where Daumier regularly contributed political and social caricatures. It counts among the series 'News of the day', which took up current events. The title alludes to the heated debate in France at the time over the eating of horse meat. With the caption, Daumier comments on the professional predicament of the two figures and thus points to the precarious circumstances of many workers in those years.

Impact

The sheet is amusing above all through the dialogue and the exaggerated postures of the two men. Because the surroundings stay bare, body language and caption come to the fore and carry an ironic note. The caricature invites a smile while the social criticism sounds quietly along.

Technique

Daumier worked in lithography: greasy chalk on stone, then printed on newsprint. The present sheet is the second state of two according to Delteil. Precisely drawn lines and hatching attest to a sure command of the printing process, as is characteristic of Daumier's satirical sheets.

AI-generated description text

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