← Honoré Daumier

Among two bailiffs, from "News of the day"

Original title: Among two bailiffs, from "News of the day"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

March 11, 1865

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 in. × 8 1/16 in. (22.8 × 20.4 cm) Sheet: 11 7/8 × 12 1/4 in. (30.1 × 31.1 cm)

Credit line

Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Unter zwei Gerichtsvollziehern' (dated 11 March 1865) presents two officials in conversation with a third, strangely distorted figure. The sheet belongs to the series 'News of the day' and was printed as a lithograph on newsprint. We look into an interior, likely a café or tavern.

Description

In the foreground, two men hold another person by the hand and talk with them; this third figure wears a jacket and shows an unusual, almost grotesque expression. Behind the trio, other people sit at tables and converse – suggesting a café or inn. The lithograph remains in greyscale; detailed shading gives volume to the figures and the space. At the bottom margin are the words 'TOUJOURS LES HIPPOPHAGES' and a dialogue alluding to the consumption of horse and rats.

Context

Daumier drew this sheet for the satirical magazine 'Le Charivari', where the series 'News of the day' ran. It bears the date 11 March 1865 and exists in the second of two states (Delteil). The background is the food shortage in France, when horse meat and even rats were discussed as food. In his caricatures, Daumier often addressed social ills and the bureaucracy of his time.

Impact

The viewer's gaze is first drawn to the grotesque expression of the central figure, then to the calm, detailed drawing that forms an ironic contrast to the dialogue. The grey lithograph creates a dense atmosphere and directs attention to the interaction of the figures. Thus an everyday encounter combines with satirical exaggeration and invites consideration of the social dynamics.

Technique

For printing, Daumier used lithography: the drawing was transferred to a stone and then printed on newsprint. This sheet is a second state, meaning it was printed after a revision of the stone. Precise lines and fine shading demonstrate Daumier's skill in this technique, which allowed quick and mass distribution of satirical images.

AI-generated description text

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