History of a reign, from "News of the day"
Original title: History of a reign, from "News of the day"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph "Geschichte einer Herrschaft" (Story of a Reign), dated September 12, 1870, presents a bound female figure standing between two cannons, whose inscriptions name the years 1851 and 1870. The print was made on newsprint and is the second of two states (Delteil).
Description
Your eye is drawn first to the dark-clad woman in the middle: her arms are tied, her head bowed. Flanking her, two cannons rise, one marked 1851, the other 1870. Behind the figure, faint lettering and sketches suggest the layout of a newspaper page. The image is colorless and evenly lit, without harsh contrasts of shadow; the caricatural, sign-like style focuses the entire arrangement on the woman and the two guns.
Context
Daumier drew this sheet on September 12, 1870, just days after France's defeat at Sedan and the collapse of the Second Empire. Known for his political caricatures, he here addresses the end of Napoleon III's rule, which had begun with the coup d'état of 1851. The series "Nachrichten des Tages" (News of the Day) appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari.
Impact
The bound figure between the cannons strikes the viewer immediately as an emblem of oppression and of the consequences of a reign. Clearly and symbolically constructed, the print delivers its political message without preamble. The monochrome printing reinforces the serious, historical tone of the subject.
Technique
The image was printed lithographically on newsprint, a common process for Daumier's political caricatures. This is the second of two states, indicating that the plate was reworked. Even tonal values and precise lines attest to careful execution in lithography.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)