The Spring-Tide of 1868, from "News of the Day"
Original title: The spring-tide of 1868, from "News of the day"
kurzbeschreibung
A man in a suit and top hat braces himself against an onrushing flood, while newspapers and loose papers lie scattered on a riverbank beneath his feet — this motif comes from Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'The Spring Flood of 1868', made on December 19, 1868. The sheet belongs to the series 'News of the Day' and exists in the third of three states according to Delteil.
Description
On a river embankment stands a gentleman in a dark suit and top hat, both hands raised in worried defense against what surges toward him. Below him, newspapers and loose papers pile up; above, birds cross the sky. The layout draws the eye toward the figure, with the bank forming solid ground amid the confusion. Because the print was made on newsprint, the sheet remains monochrome; light falls evenly across everything, with no cast shadows.
Context
Daumier drew this sheet for the satirical magazine 'Le Charivari', where his series 'News of the Day' also appeared. The occasion was the flood that struck Paris hard in spring 1868, causing considerable damage. The artist took up the event to offer political and social critique: the flood becomes an image for the mass of news and political reports that overwhelms readers.
Impact
Between comedy and unease, the impression shifts as the man struggles in vain against the paper flood. Facial expression and gesture are exaggerated and hit the viewer directly without tipping into the grotesque. The monotony of the lithographic print sharpens the contrasts and makes the central figure stand out.
Technique
For the print, Daumier worked in lithography: he drew with greasy chalk on a limestone, from which impressions were then printed on newsprint. The sheet survives in the third of three states, suggesting later reworkings of the stone. Fine strokes alternate with broad areas — a skill that made lithography so useful for the daily press, since it allowed fast and inexpensive reproduction.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)