← Honoré Daumier

The password: Reaction...... pardon me, I am mistaken... Freedom.., from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, December 31, 1869

Original title: The password: Reaction...... pardon me, I am mistaken... Freedom.., from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, December 31, 1869

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

December 31, 1869

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 1/8 × 9 3/4 in. (23.2 × 24.8 cm) Sheet: 11 7/16 × 11 5/16 in. (29.1 × 28.7 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

On December 31, 1869, Le Charivari published Honoré Daumier's lithograph "Das Losungswort: Reaktion ... Verzeihung, ich irre mich ... Freiheit," a print from the series "Nachrichten des Tages." Three allegorical figures embodying the years 1869 and 1870 appear in it, casting an eye on France's political situation shortly before the Franco-Prussian War.

Description

Three figures line up across the image. The one on the left wears a long robe, carries a shovel or sickle-like tool, and is labeled "1869." A second figure stands in the middle, partly hidden by the shovel and marked "1870." On the right appears a naked female figure, also labeled "1870." Beneath this arrangement one reads "LE MOT D'ORDRE." and below that "Réaction..... Pardon, je me trompe... Liberté." Kept in black and white, the print follows Daumier's caricatural line.

Context

Daumier made this lithograph for the satirical newspaper Le Charivari, where he regularly published political work. December 31, 1869 falls on the turn of the year, when the artist took stock politically. French society was then split between monarchists and republicans, and Daumier took up the gap between political rhetoric and reality. The naked woman as an embodiment of liberty is a classic allegory, here ironically fractured.

Impact

Clearly structured and sparing in its means, the print gets its message across quickly. The pairing of 1869 and 1870 with the ironic text creates a satirical tension that prompts reflection on political change. Daumier's line gives the figures an expressive presence that carries the message.

Technique

Daumier worked in lithography: he drew with greasy chalk on a stone, which was then inked for printing. The print was pulled on newsprint, as was usual for publication in Le Charivari. The present example is the second of two known states (Delteil).

AI-generated description text

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