Both running to the telegraph office to announce the same victory, from "News of the Day"
Original title: Both running to the telegraph office to announce the same victory, from "News of the Day"
kurzbeschreibung
This 1867 lithograph by Honoré Daumier belongs to the series 'News of the Day'. It shows two figures rushing toward a door marked 'TELEGRAPIE'. The present sheet is the fourth of five states (Delteil) and was printed on newsprint.
Description
Two men hurry across the picture surface, both with arms outstretched, trying to be the first to reach the door labeled 'TELEGRAPIE'. The one on the left wears a jacket and trousers, the one on the right a long robe with an apron. Their expressions are tense, their posture betrays extreme haste. The background remains bare, so that attention falls entirely on the running duel. Even, shadowless lighting and the gray gradations typical of lithography define the image.
Context
The print was made for the satirical journal 'Le Charivari', where the series 'News of the Day' was published. In it, Daumier pokes fun at the then-new telegraphy, which fundamentally changed the transmission of news. The caricature targets the rivalry and vanity of journalists or messengers who want to be the first to deliver one and the same report.
Impact
The exaggerated haste of the two figures is comic and prompts a smile. Movement and distorted faces underline how absurd this race for a piece of news actually is.
Technique
Lithography, a planographic process using a greasy crayon on stone, was employed here. Printing was done on newsprint, as was customary for publication in a daily newspaper. Varying densities of ink produce the gray tones of the sheet.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)