What the hell can destroy her appetite?, from "News of the day"
Original title: What the hell can destroy her appetite?, from "News of the day"
kurzbeschreibung
Printed on newsprint, this 1868 lithograph by Honoré Daumier shows a woman at a table staring at her plate with a look of puzzlement. The sheet belongs to the series News of the day and is conceived as a caricature.
Description
The woman sits front and center in a long dark dress, spoon in hand. On the plate before her lies a small piece of cake, and her expression is one of surprise shading into alarm. Behind her, newspaper columns and graphics are visible, including the word EUROPE and other headlines. The image stays black and white, evenly lit with no shading. Along the bottom runs the French sentence 'Que diable y a-t-il qui lui coupe l'appétit?'
Context
The lithograph was published on January 31, 1868, in the French newspaper Le Charivari, as part of the series News of the day. Daumier made it during the reign of Napoleon III, when political satire was widely circulated in France. The title points to European politics; the woman can be read allegorically as France or Europe. The print is known as the second state of two (Delteil).
Impact
Humor and reflection blend here, because the woman's startled face is at odds with the harmless cake. The newspaper texts woven into the background sharpen the satirical tone and bring the political reference more clearly into view.
Technique
Drawn on the stone with greasy crayon and then printed, the lithographic character of this sheet emerges on newsprint. Fine lines and clear contrasts define the second edition, as is typical of Daumier's satirical prints. At 24.4 × 20.8 cm, the format matches that of a newspaper illustration.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)