Electors, into my arms!...
Original title: Electors, into my arms!..., from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in March 1869 for the satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. A central figure holds up a large book inscribed 'LE DIX NEUF JANVIER MEMOIRE JUSTIFICATIF' like a shield. The print is a political caricature that takes up the events of its day.
Description
A figure with human legs presents a big book whose title page reads 'LE DIX NEUF JANVIER MEMOIRE JUSTIFICATIF'. Around it several people are on the move: some are walking away, others are coming closer. The arrangement is lively, the contours black and white in the usual lithographic manner. Exaggerated, expressive bodies sharpen the caricatural tone.
Context
The lithograph appeared on 10 March 1869 in the French satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. Daumier made it amid the political tensions of the Second Empire under Napoleon III. The 19 January alluded to in the title points to a political event much discussed at the time. The sheet survives in the second state of two, as recorded in the Delteil catalogue.
Impact
The overblown proportions and the restlessness of the figures make the caricature legible at a glance. By using the book as a shield, the main figure adds an ironic twist that invites reflection. Black-and-white lithography relies on contrast and line, and that is what brings the satirical point forward.
Technique
The print was executed as a lithograph on wove paper: drawn with greasy chalk on a stone and then printed. The image stays black and white with even lighting, which is characteristic of the process. It measures 36.1 × 26.4 cm; the second state of two suggests the printing plate was reworked.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)