← Honoré Daumier

Go and get yourself killed for me, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, August 10, 1871

Original title: Go and get yourself killed for me, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, August 10, 1871

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

August 10, 1871

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 10 1/16 × 8 3/4 in. (25.5 × 22.2 cm) Sheet: 11 3/4 × 11 11/16 in. (29.9 × 29.7 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike most of the prints in Daumier's 'Actualités', this lithograph of 10 August 1871 builds on a direct exchange between two personifications: France and Rome face each other not as distant allegories but as actors locked in a pointed confrontation. Made for 'Le Charivari', the caricature sets the conflict in a rocky landscape and fuses image and spoken line into a single punchline.

Description

On the left, a female figure stands upright, her dress bearing the word 'Rome'; she holds a weapon. Facing her, a second figure crouches on a boat, also armed, with 'France' written across its garment. Rocks frame the action, the word 'ACTUALITÉS' appears at the top, and beneath the image runs the line 'Va te faire achever pour moi', which gives the print its sting.

Context

The lithograph was published on 10 August 1871 in 'Le Charivari', the satirical journal famous for its political caricatures. It appeared in the months following the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, a period of great political uncertainty in France. Behind the confrontation of Rome and France lies the Italian question, more precisely France's protection of the papacy, which came to an end with the war.

Impact

Between the two figures a tension builds, carried by the raised weapon and the spoken words literally inscribed. Because the print works only in black and white and the outlines remain sharp, it feels immediate and poster-like; from this the satirical tone draws its force.

Technique

The lithograph was printed on newsprint in the second of two states (Delteil). This process allowed the drawing to be reproduced quickly and cheaply for the journal. Typical of Daumier's hand are the delicate strokes and hatching that produced graduated greys in print.

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