Madame is moving, from 'News of the day'
Original title: Madame is moving, from 'News of the day'
kurzbeschreibung
A skeleton rides atop a steam locomotive, steering the journey with a sabre and a banner. Honoré Daumier drew this motif in 1867 as a lithograph for his series 'News of the day'; the title reads 'Madame déménage!' The sheet was executed with pen, brown ink and red pencil on newsprint.
Description
Perched on the roof of a steam engine, a skeleton holds a sabre in one hand and a banner in the other. The locomotive trails a plume of smoke behind it, and a skull is emblazoned on its side. The setting stays bare, showing a flat landscape. Black and white with graded greys emphasises contours and shadows. Along the bottom edge run the word 'ACTUALITÉS', the number 161 and the inscription 'Madame déménage!'.
Context
In September 1867 Daumier published this sheet as part of the 'News of the day' series, which followed political and social events of the moment with satire. The skeleton at the controls of the locomotive can be read as a symbol of death or of destructive forces at work during the age of industrialisation and the political upheavals in France. This is a proof print that the artist additionally reworked with pen and red pencil.
Impact
Technical progress and a macabre motif collide, producing an unsettling, almost surreal mood. The sparing colour and clear linework draw the eye to the central image and sharpen its sombre message.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint. Daumier then reworked the proof with pen, brown ink and red pencil, a sign of careful attention. The lithographic process allows fine gradations of grey, used here to give the scene its sense of volume.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)