← Honoré Daumier

What a joy to be a voter!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, May 5, 1870

Original title: What a joy to be a voter!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, May 5, 1870

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

May 5, 1870

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/16 × 8 13/16 in. (23.3 × 22.4 cm) Sheet: 11 1/4 × 11 5/8 in. (28.5 × 29.6 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1954

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Welch eine Freude, ein Wähler zu sein!' (What a Joy to Be a Voter!) from 1870 lampoons electoral practice in the Second Empire. It appeared on May 5, 1870, in the series 'News of the Day' in Le Charivari. The image features an overwhelmed head-shaped figure being pulled in opposite directions by two horses labeled 'ABSTENTION' and 'BULLETIN BLANC'.

Description

A stylized head with a worried, overwhelmed expression and a bow on top dominates the sheet. Two horses, their bodies bearing the words 'ABSTENTION' and 'BULLETIN BLANC', tug the figure apart. Newspaper pages titled 'ACTUALITÉS' and other text fragments suggest the context behind the scene. Below, the French sentence 'Ah! quel plaisir d'être électeur!' underscores the image's irony.

Context

The lithograph was made before the referendum of May 8, 1870, by which Napoleon III sought confirmation of his constitutional reforms. Daumier published it in the satirical journal Le Charivari, known for caricatures critical of the regime. The terms 'Abstention' (abstention from voting) and 'Bulletin blanc' (blank ballot) refer to protest forms against the plebiscite at the time. Daumier repeatedly addressed the manipulation and frustration of voters under the authoritarian system of the Second Empire.

Impact

The exaggeration of the overwhelmed head figure seems comic at first glance but reveals sharp political criticism on closer inspection. The horses pulling in different directions make visible the voters' torn position between boycott and empty ballot. The ironic title emphasizes the contradiction between the propagated joy of voting and the citizens' actual powerlessness.

Technique

Daumier's lithograph on newsprint uses a support typical of his series. The second state of two known impressions is recorded (Delteil). Lithography allowed fine line drawings and rapid print runs, ideal for publication in the daily press.

AI-generated description text

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