Easter eggs hatched for a long time, from "News of the Day"
Original title: Easter eggs hatched for a long time, from "News of the Day"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph on 13–14 April 1868 for his Actualités series. It shows a hen sitting on a nest whose eggs are labelled "PROGRÈS" and "MATERNITÉ". The print is a lithograph on newsprint, second state of two (Delteil).
Description
A hen broods on a straw nest, several eggs gathered beneath her. Two of them carry the inscriptions "PROGRÈS" and "MATERNITÉ". Her plumage is drawn in close detail, and her expression is lively. Behind her a vague, abstract landscape suggests itself. "ACTUALITÉS" and the number 80 run along the top edge; the title and the signature "h.b." appear at the bottom.
Context
Daumier drew this caricature for the satirical journal Le Charivari, where his Actualités series appeared. It came out in April 1868, shortly before Easter, and takes up political and social matters of the day. The words "progress" and "motherhood" on the eggs can be read as a satirical comment on debates of the period. Daumier published political and social caricatures in Parisian papers regularly.
Impact
The hen with her labelled eggs is comic and at the same time gives pause for thought. Close observation of an animal meets allegorical signs, and the viewer is left to work out the meaning. Crisp lines and the high-contrast black-and-white printing give the sheet an immediate, forceful presence.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint and survives in the second of two states (Delteil). Lithography allows fine lines and shading, which are used here to render the hen's feathers in detail. Black-and-white printing underlines both the graphic quality and the satirical bite of the caricature.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)