What the devil are they doing up there?
Original title: What the devil are they doing up there?, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, August 14, 1870
kurzbeschreibung
A man sits on a shield bearing the letters 'BUL,' glancing upward with visible unease as waves rise behind him and a dark figure hurtles down. Honoré Daumier stages this 1870 lithograph as a satirical take on current events, published on August 14, 1870, in the series 'News of the day' in the journal Le Charivari.
Description
A bearded man with long hair, dressed in a simple garment, crouches on a shield marked 'BUL.' His hands are clasped, his head tilted back, and his expression betrays worry. At his feet lies an overturned helmet. Behind him, waves surge from right to left, seeming to close in on the seated figure. To the right, a second figure—dark and abstract—floats or plunges through the air. Bare grays and sparse light give the image a somber, tense mood.
Context
Daumier made this print on August 14, 1870, just weeks after the start of the Franco-Prussian War. It appeared in the satirical newspaper Le Charivari, for which he regularly drew political and social commentary. The abbreviation 'BUL' on the shield refers to the French general Charles Denis Bourbaki, who played a key role in the war. This is the second state of the lithograph, which was issued in two editions.
Impact
The stillness of the pensive figure set against the threateningly restless surroundings creates an oppressive atmosphere. The hovering dark shape and the waves heighten a sense of uncertainty and impending danger. Daumier's caricature remains immediate and arresting, with no unnecessary embellishment.
Technique
The image was printed as a lithograph on newsprint—a process common to Daumier's satirical work. Crisp contours and the fine texture of waves and garment reveal the precision of the lithographic execution. The second of two known states (Delteil) is preserved here.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)