← Honoré Daumier

Dismayed with her legacy, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, January 11, 1871

Original title: Dismayed with her legacy, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, January 11, 1871

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

January 11, 1871

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 1/8 × 7 1/8 in. (23.1 × 18.1 cm) Sheet: 12 1/4 × 8 3/4 in. (31.1 × 22.2 cm)

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's 1871 lithograph shows a female allegory staring in horror at a battlefield. The sheet belongs to the 'Actualités' series and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari. It was printed as a lithograph on newsprint, in the second of three states (Delteil).

Description

The female figure is seen from behind, wearing a long black gown, standing on rocky, barren ground. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she looks to the left, where several dead or fallen figures are outlined in the distance. The year '1871' floats large above her; at the top is the series title 'ACTUALITÉS', at the bottom the subtitle 'Épouvantée de l'héritage'. The layout directs attention entirely to the figure and the dead; grays and blacks dominate the sheet and contribute to the somber mood.

Context

The lithograph was published on January 11, 1871, in the midst of the Franco-Prussian War and just days before the capitulation of Paris. Daumier drew the sheet for the satirical journal Le Charivari, for which he regularly supplied political caricatures. The allegory of 'France' or Marianne gazing in horror at the legacy of war was a common visual language at the time. The work is among Daumier's late pieces, in which he often addressed the consequences of war.

Impact

The print initially feels oppressive: the dark palette and bleak landscape create a heavy atmosphere. Because the figure is shown from behind, viewers can put themselves in her perspective, which heightens the emotional impact. The clear arrangement leads the eye almost inevitably to the dead in the background, emphasizing the gravity of the subject.

Technique

The sheet was printed as a lithograph on newsprint, a process in which one draws with greasy chalk on the stone and then prints. Daumier used this technique for quickly produced, topical images that appeared in newspapers such as Le Charivari. The second of three states (Delteil) suggests possible corrections or changes from the first impression.

AI-generated description text

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