← Honoré Daumier

The Deputies on Leave. Dreaming That They Will Not Be Re-elected, from 'News of the Day,' published in Le Charivari, September 9, 1868

Original title: The deputies on leave. Dreaming that they will not be re-elected, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, September 9, 1868

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

September 9, 1868

Medium

Lithograph, pen and brown ink, red pencil, and graphite on newsprint; second state of three, proof (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/16 × 8 3/16 in. (23.4 × 20.8 cm) Sheet: 14 5/16 × 10 13/16 in. (36.3 × 27.5 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1956

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike most travel pictures of its time, Honoré Daumier's 1868 lithograph does not rely on speed or a view; it focuses on the silence between two deputies in a train compartment. Both men seem lost in thought or sleep. The print belongs to the series 'News of the day' and blends political satire with an everyday travel scene. It is a lithograph that was reworked with pen, red chalk, and graphite.

Description

Two men share a train compartment: the one on the left has his arms crossed and looks pensive, while the one on the right leans back relaxed, almost dozing off. Both wear formally cut jackets and trousers. The window and wood paneling of the compartment stay indistinct in the background so that the figures stand out. Black and gray dominate the image, with light and shadow used sparingly; the tone remains caricatural and humorous.

Context

On September 9, 1868, the sheet appeared in the satirical magazine Le Charivari, within the series 'News of the day.' Daumier thus took up the situation in the Second Empire, where deputies feared for their reelection. The second of three states survives as a proof (Delteil) — an indication that the artist carefully reworked the print.

Impact

Political criticism and everyday scene merge here, making the deputies appear human and vulnerable. The calm, almost melancholy mood in the compartment creates an ironic distance from political power and invites a smile.

Technique

The image was printed as a lithograph; Daumier then reworked it with pen and brown ink, red pencil, and graphite on newsprint. This combination of printmaking and drawing gives the work its wealth of detail and its individual character.

AI-generated description text

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