← Honoré Daumier

You're not having anything?, from 'Parisian sketches,' published in Le Charivari, November 2-3, 1865

Original title: You're not having anything?, from 'Parisian sketches,' published in Le Charivari, November 2-3, 1865

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

November 2–3, 1865

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 11/16 in. × 9 in. (24.6 × 22.9 cm) Sheet: 12 3/8 in. × 11 in. (31.5 × 27.9 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Vous ne prenez rien?' belongs to the 'Parisian Sketches' series and appeared in Le Charivari on 2–3 November 1865. It shows three men in a café, two of them leaning in to address a seated customer. The print was made on newsprint and is the second state of two (Delteil).

Description

Three figures occupy an interior, likely a café. Two men stand and bend toward a third who sits at a table with a cup before him. The standing man on the left wears a suit and collar; the one on the right, a top hat and apron. The seated man is also dressed in a suit and apron. The caption reads: 'Vous ne prenez rien?... Non, j'ai peur... Allons, un gros au laudanum!' The background remains sketchy, drawing attention to the figures. Varying line weights and shading create the tonal values of the monochrome lithograph.

Context

The 'Parisian Sketches' series ran in the satirical newspaper Le Charivari, for which Daumier worked regularly. The caricature alludes to the nineteenth-century practice of taking opium tincture (laudanum) as a sedative. Daumier often depicted social types and everyday situations of the Parisian bourgeoisie. This lithograph dates from a period when he was turning increasingly to social critique.

Impact

The stance of the standing men and the reclining position of the seated one give the scene liveliness and a dialogic quality. The focus on essentials and clear linework produce an immediate, humorous effect. The laudanum consumption lends the print a subtly ironic note.

Technique

For his satirical prints Daumier typically used lithography on newsprint. The drawing was transferred to the stone and printed; the second state (Delteil) shows possible reworking. The gray tones come from varying densities of lithographic ink and fine hatching.

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