The new Cinderella, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"
Original title: The new Cinderella, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"
kurzbeschreibung
Where many caricatures of the period settle for a simple jab, Honoré Daumier's lithograph "The New Cinderella" of 10 July 1866 turns to a dancing allegory: a woman in a wide dress marked "AUTRICHE" tosses a fan into the air while a dark, witchlike figure stands behind her. The print appeared in the "News of the day" series of the satirical journal Le Charivari.
Description
Up front a woman spins in a showy, billowing dress labelled "AUTRICHE" and flings a fan upward. Close behind her stands a slim, darkly clad figure with a cap, reminiscent of a witch or sorceress. Columns and a striped floor place the action in a ballroom. Black and white throughout, the image carries no visible shading and the light falls evenly. Body proportions are distorted and pushed to caricatural extremes.
Context
Daumier drew this lithograph for the daily "News of the day" section of Le Charivari, known for its political and social caricatures. 1866 was the year of the Prussian-Austrian confrontation that culminated in the German War. The dancing embodiment of Austria likely alludes to the political situation and the role of the Habsburg monarchy. Daumier regularly published topical commentary in this series.
Impact
The exaggerated proportions and the contrast between the dancing woman and the gloomy figure behind her give the caricature a humorous and at the same time threatening edge. The reduced black-and-white treatment draws the eye to the central figure and its symbolic label, so that the political message comes through at once.
Technique
Executed as a lithograph on wove paper, the sheet survives in the second of three print states (Delteil). Lithography allowed the fine lines and flat areas that serve the caricatural effect. The image measures 23.5 × 20.9 cm and is mounted on a larger sheet of 35.8 × 26.6 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)