← Honoré Daumier

Reverend, before proclaiming the infallibility of the Pope, please get your entrance ticket for the play in there, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, March 5, 1870

Original title: Reverend, before proclaiming the infallibility of the Pope, please get your entrance ticket for the play in there, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, March 5, 1870

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

March 5, 1870

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/8 × 8 1/16 in. (23.8 × 20.5 cm) Sheet: 13 7/8 × 11 1/8 in. (35.3 × 28.2 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1960

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike many contemporary caricatures, Honoré Daumier's 1870 lithograph relies less on a single punchline than on shifting the action into a theatre. A cleric is directed there to see the play 'Lucrèce Borgia' at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin. The print belongs to the series 'Nachrichten des Tages' and exists in the third of three states (Delteil), printed on newsprint.

Description

Two figures face each other in a theatre or opera house. On the left stands a person in a striking, colourful costume with a plume; they hold a sheet of paper and seem to be handing it over. To the right, a figure in dark, plain vestments with a head covering carries a sign reading 'Porte St Martin' and 'Lucrèce Borgia'. A stage area is hinted at in the background. The lithograph's greys emphasise the contrast between the two characters.

Context

The lithograph was published on 5 March 1870 in the French satirical magazine Le Charivari. It refers to the debate over the dogma of papal infallibility, proclaimed the same year at the First Vatican Council. Daumier uses the theatre setting to mock church authority by directing the cleric to a secular play. The allusion to 'Lucrèce Borgia', a drama by Victor Hugo, underlines the critical stance toward power and morality.

Impact

The caricature's comedy comes above all from the exaggerated figures and the ironic contrast between clerical dignity and the theatrical stage. The clear layout and reduced palette draw the eye to the jibes that expose both church and social hypocrisy. The viewer is prompted to smile while the satirical edge lingers.

Technique

Lithography was used, a printing process widespread at the time that allows fine lines and shading. The sheet was printed on newsprint, pointing to its function as a mass medium. The third of three states (Delteil) shows a later revision of the printing plate, in which details or contrasts were refined.

AI-generated description text

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