Run-off elections: Will she invite me for a second waltz?
Original title: Run-off elections: Will she invite me for a second waltz?, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, June 2, 1869
kurzbeschreibung
In June 1869, during the French parliamentary elections, Honoré Daumier published this lithograph as part of the series News of the Day in the satirical magazine Le Charivari. Titled Run-off Elections: Will She Ask Me for a Second Waltz?, the print offers a political caricature: a woman labeled FRANCE stands before a group of men in suits. It appeared on June 2, 1869.
Description
Several men in dark suits and hats sit on benches, looking to the right. There, a woman in a long-sleeved dress stands, identified as the personification of France by the inscription FRANCE. While the men attentively follow her presentation, the woman is shown in a gestural pose. The caricatural style of the print emphasizes exaggerated facial features and body language, typical of political drawings of the period.
Context
The print was created in the run-up to the French parliamentary elections of 1869, held in May and June. Daumier addressed the run-off elections, in which candidates had to stand again in a second round. The personification of France as a woman was a widespread allegorical motif in nineteenth-century French art. The lithograph was published in Le Charivari, a satirical newspaper known for its political caricatures.
Impact
By contrasting the serious situation of the run-off elections with the lightness of a dance, the image creates an ironic distance from the electoral process. The woman as the central figure draws attention to the nation's role in politics. The humorous undertone makes the critique of political actors accessible and memorable.
Technique
The lithograph was executed on newsprint, a process suited to printing in satirical journals. This is the second state of two known states (Delteil). Lithography allowed for fine lines and shading, which were used for the caricatural rendering.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)