← Honoré Daumier

Calling their reserve conscripts to the colors, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"

Original title: Calling their reserve conscripts to the colors, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

August 31, 1870

Medium

Lithograph on wove paper; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 9/16 × 8 3/4 in. (24.3 × 22.3 cm) Sheet: 13 3/16 × 10 11/16 in. (33.5 × 27.1 cm)

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in August 1870, capturing the chaotic conscription of reservists during the Franco-Prussian War. Two uniformed soldiers press in on a woman with a child; behind them appears a sign reading 'DUCHÉ DE BADE'. The print is the second of two states (Delteil) and belongs to the series 'News of the Day'.

Description

Daumier's arrangement feels driven and restless: two men in military uniform close in on a woman carrying a child on her back. Her defensive posture and central position stress her attempt to resist and protect the child. At the rear a sign reading 'DUCHÉ DE BADE' establishes the regional reference. Black and white with strong contrasts and shading, as lithography produces; the figures are drawn vividly and almost caricaturally, which heightens the impact of the moment.

Context

Created on 31 August 1870, in the middle of the Franco-Prussian War, as France mobilized its reservists. Daumier published the lithograph in the satirical newspaper 'Le Charivari', for which he regularly drew political caricatures. The reference to 'DUCHÉ DE BADE' (Grand Duchy of Baden) alludes to the German troops advancing into French border regions. The series 'News of the Day' followed current events critically and often ironically.

Impact

The woman's immediate distress and the figures' agitation create an oppressive mood. Realistic details and caricatural exaggerations together make the horrors of war directly palpable. Clear contrasts and a concentrated layout direct the viewer's gaze to the human tragedy behind the political events.

Technique

Lithography on wove paper: drawn on the stone with greasy chalk and then printed. Daumier used the process to obtain fine shading and animated lines that increase the dynamism and emotion of the scene. The present impression is the second of two states, indicating that the artist reworked the plate.

AI-generated description text

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