← Honoré Daumier

Advice to amateurs, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"

Original title: Advice to amateurs, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

November 22, 1871

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/8 × 8 1/4 in. (23.8 × 20.9 cm) Sheet: 11 5/8 × 11 3/4 in. (29.5 × 29.9 cm)

Credit line

Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Advice to Amateurs' dates from 1871 and presents a political caricature with two figures before ballot urns. Executed as a lithograph on newsprint, the sheet is the second state of two (Delteil). The motif mocks the French plebiscites of 1851 and 1870.

Description

Arranged symmetrically, the image shows two figures in white robes bowing before a central ballot urn and burying their heads in their hands. Flanking the urn are the years '1851' and '1870'; a third, empty urn bears the inscription '18...'. Above the scene appears the word 'PLEBISCITE', below it 'AVIS AUX AMATEURS'. Three arched windows in the background deepen the space. The execution remains monochrome in black and white, with even lighting and a caricatural touch.

Context

On 22 November 1871 the lithograph appeared in the satirical newspaper 'Le Charivari' within the series 'News of the day'. Daumier thus referred to the French plebiscites under Napoleon III (1851 and 1870), each of which confirmed the emperor's rule. The third urn with the incomplete year '18...' hints at the uncertain political situation after the Franco-Prussian War and the end of the empire. The sheet counts among Daumier's late political caricature, which denounces the manipulation of voters.

Impact

The symmetrical arrangement and the veiled figures create an impression that is both comic and threatening. The empty urn with the open year '18...' feels oppressive because it announces future plebiscites. Daumier's restriction to few pictorial elements sharpens the satirical statement about the blindness of voters.

Technique

The lithograph was printed on newsprint—a common medium for nineteenth-century political satire. The second state (of two) according to Delteil reproduces the final version of the drawing. The process allowed fine lines and rapid distribution, which was essential for the caricature's topicality.

AI-generated description text

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