← Honoré Daumier

Monsieur, I am bound to advise you that they are in the process of verifying Monsieur and that this seems to be taking a curious turn, from "News of the day"

Original title: Monsieur, I am bound to advise you that they are in the process of verifying Monsieur and that this seems to be taking a curious turn, from "News of the day"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

July 14, 1869

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 1/8 × 7 15/16 in. (23.1 × 20.2 cm) Sheet (Newspaper): 17 1/4 × 24 5/16 in. (43.8 × 61.7 cm)

Credit line

Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957

kurzbeschreibung

Two gentlemen in suits face each other in an interior in this 1869 lithograph by Honoré Daumier, part of the series News of the Day. The man on the left holds a parchment scroll and raises his index finger; the one on the right wears a medal and looks upward with his head tilted back. The print lampoons a bureaucratic or legal examination with an ironic undertone.

Description

Two men are arranged in a room with curtains behind them. The gentleman on the left, in a suit and tie, presents a parchment scroll and points at his counterpart. The man on the right, whose tie is knotted differently and who wears a medal around his neck, also holds a parchment and looks up in surprise. Below the figures, French text explains the situation. This black-and-white drawing is rich in detail in the clothing and faces, in a caricatural style.

Context

The lithograph was made for the satirical magazine Le Charivari and belongs to Daumier's series Actualités, which took aim at daily events in Second Empire France. The date of July 14, 1869, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, is likely an ironic allusion to freedom and bureaucracy. Daumier was known for his critical images of justice, politics, and social ills.

Impact

What first catches the eye is the tension between the men's formal attire and their almost absurd situation. Gesture, facial expression, and the ironic title create a humorous yet thoughtful effect. The clear layout and precise lines draw attention to the interplay between the figures and their different roles.

Technique

The lithograph was printed on newsprint and is in the third state of three (Delteil). The lithographic process allowed fine line drawings and rapid reproduction for publication in newspapers. The black-and-white print emphasizes the contrasts and the detailed precision of the caricatural design.

AI-generated description text

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