As for me, I am full... Never mind the rest
Original title: As for me, I am full... Never mind the rest, published in "L'Album du Siège"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in 1871, showing a thoroughly satisfied figure at a table. The print belongs to the series L'Album du Siège and exists in the third of three successive states (Delteil). It satirizes the food supply during the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War.
Description
A stout man in a dark shirt with sleeves rolled up leans back with a broad grin. On the table before him: an empty wine glass, a plate with food remnants, and a cloth. The bare, dark background pushes his body to the fore. Below the image runs the French sentence 'Moi, je suis ravitaillé... Le reste m'est égal.'
Context
The sheet was created during the siege of Paris (1870–1871), when Prussian troops cut off the city and the population suffered hunger. In L'Album du Siège, Daumier gathered lithographs addressing the social hardship and grievances of those months. The work belongs to his late period, when he turned increasingly to political and social issues.
Impact
The figure's corpulence and smug smile are provocative. That someone here is full while scarcity reigns all around creates a bitter irony. The viewer is confronted with the unequal distribution of food during the siege.
Technique
The sheet was printed as a lithograph on wove paper—a process in which a drawing is made with greasy chalk on the stone and then pulled. The third of the three states (Delteil) shows nuanced shading and clearly drawn contours. Daumier often chose lithography for his satirical series because it allowed quick and inexpensive editions.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)