← Honoré Daumier

The quartering reinstated: Give me your vote! To me! No, to me!

Original title: The quartering reinstated: Give me your vote! To me! No, to me!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, May 8, 1869

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

May 8, 1869

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/16 × 8 3/4 in. (23.3 × 22.3 cm) Sheet: 11 5/8 × 11 5/16 in. (29.5 × 28.8 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Die Vierteilung wird wieder eingeführt: Geben Sie mir Ihre Stimme! Mir! Nein, mir!' belongs to his 'News of the day' series and appeared on 8 May 1869 in the satirical journal Le Charivari. Three gentlemen in suits and hats are shown locked in an absurd scramble for voters' support. The lithograph was printed on newsprint and survives as the third of three states (Delteil).

Description

Three men in suits and hats are drawn in contorted, violent motion: two on the left, one on the right. Arms and legs are set at exaggerated angles, creating the impression of a wild wrestling match. Their faces are given sharp caricatural features, and the hats taper to points. A flat, undefined landscape is hinted at in the background; a hat lies on the ground. The black-and-white of the drawing feels caricatural and comic.

Context

The print was made in 1869, during the Second Empire under Napoleon III, when political tensions and preparations for elections shaped the climate. Daumier published it in Le Charivari, a journal known for its caricatures critical of the regime. The title takes up the historical punishment of quartering and transfers it figuratively to the election campaign, in which candidates fight for votes.

Impact

The exaggerated postures and facial features provoke immediate laughter, yet the caricature targets the aggressive and degrading side of political conflict. The restriction to black and white sharpens the satirical tone.

Technique

Daumier worked in lithography: the drawing is made with greasy chalk on a stone from which the print is taken. Printing was done on newsprint, as was usual for publication in a journal. The later reworking of the printing plate attests to the third of three states.

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