← Honoré Daumier

Is this really what the philosophers were thinking of when they asked that the nations should form a mutual bundle?

Original title: Is this really what the philosophers were thinking of when they asked that the nations should form a mutual bundle?, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

March 22, 1867

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 1/4 × 8 11/16 in. (23.5 × 22 cm) Sheet: 11 5/16 × 11 9/16 in. (28.8 × 29.3 cm)

Credit line

Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957

kurzbeschreibung

Five figures in uniforms and costumes that look historical meet in this 1867 lithograph by Honoré Daumier. The print appeared in the series 'News of the day' in the magazine 'Le Charivari' and brings the participants together in a lively, caricaturally exaggerated scene.

Description

Five people wear different uniforms and headgear reminiscent of military or historical attire. Two of them carry rifles; the others look in various directions or are deep in conversation. Their postures seem relaxed and animated, giving the image a lively, possibly ironic touch. A plain dark structure closes off the background and keeps attention on the figures. The rendering remains monochrome; various gray values and shades provide differentiation.

Context

This print was made for the satirical newspaper 'Le Charivari', where Daumier regularly published political and social caricatures. It is dated March 1867, a period of growing nationalist currents and political tensions in Europe. The title takes up philosophical ideas of international solidarity and relates them ironically to military reality.

Impact

Exaggerated figures and a dynamic layout give the caricature a humorous tone that also prompts reflection. Because the lithograph uses no color, the gestures and facial expressions of those involved come to the fore and carry the ironic message.

Technique

The print was executed as a lithograph on newsprint: drawn with greasy chalk on a stone and then printed. Clear contours and graduated gray tones, typical of this process, allow an accurate reproduction of the figures. This is the third state of three (Delteil), indicating multiple revisions of the print.

AI-generated description text

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