← Honoré Daumier

Good Lord, what has happened to you? – Hush! It's a trick I invented in order to avoid giving New Year's presents, from "News of the day"

Original title: – Good Lord, what has happened to you? – Hush! It's a trick I invented in order to avoid giving New Year's presents, from "News of the day"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

December 18, 1868

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 7/16 × 8 3/16 in. (24 × 20.8 cm) Sheet: 11 1/4 × 10 3/8 in. (28.5 × 26.3 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1936

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's 1868 lithograph presents two figures in a comic exchange. Part of the 'Actualités' series, it appeared as an illustration in a newspaper. The image pokes fun at a ridiculous excuse someone uses to avoid giving New Year's gifts.

Description

Against a plain background, two figures face each other. The one on the left is heavily distorted, with exaggerated proportions and an odd posture, making it look like a grotesque human form. On the right stands a man in a suit and tie, carrying a cane—a sign of higher social rank. Both stand upright and look at each other. The black-and-white reproduction uses gradations that bring out forms and outlines.

Context

The print was made in 1868 in France, during the late years of Napoleon III's rule. Daumier published it in his 'Actualités' series in the satirical magazine 'Le Charivari'. The lithograph takes up the bourgeois custom of New Year's gift-giving and mocks the evasions people use to shirk this obligation. Daumier was known for his political and social caricatures, which targeted authority and social hypocrisy.

Impact

The exaggerated figure on the left seems comic, almost absurd, and makes the viewer smile. The contrast between the grotesque figure and the elegantly dressed gentleman underlines the ridiculousness of the situation and prompts reflection on social conventions.

Technique

The print was executed as a lithograph on newsprint—a process in which one draws with greasy chalk on a limestone and then prints. Daumier used fine shading to give the figures volume. This is the second state of two (Delteil); the print quality is typical for newspaper illustrations.

AI-generated description text

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