Citizen Bertrand, my good friend, it grieves me to see you in such despair because of your country.... why worry, we'll find someone here to fry, my good friend.... all we need to do is change the kitchen!
Original title: Citizen Bertrand, my good friend, it grieves me to see you in such despair because of your country.... why worry, we'll find someone here to fry, my good friend.... all we need to do is change the kitchen!, published in 'Comic Review,' October 22, 1871
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier brought out this lithograph on 22 October 1871 in the journal 'Revue Comique'. Two figures carry a political caricature that needles at the situation in France after the Franco-Prussian War. The scene was printed in shades of grey on newsprint.
Description
Two figures fill the picture. On the left sits someone in plain, rumpled clothing, face given over to despair and hopelessness. On the right stands a figure in a long black coat and head covering, recalling a judge; this one looks self-assured, almost mocking, and holds a document in one hand. Faint writing and drawings can be made out behind the pair. The layout is plain and the figures are placed front and centre, while the grey tones are typical of lithographs from this period.
Context
Daumier made the lithograph in October 1871, only a few months after the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. Known for his political and social caricatures, he took up the war's aftermath and the tensions inside France in the 'Revue Comique'. The figure of 'Citizen Bertrand' may point to a particular political person, or stand as an emblem of the despair felt by broad sections of the population.
Impact
Exaggerated features and body language give the caricature its comic, satirical edge. Despair set against self-assurance produces an ironic tension that pushes the viewer to think about the political situation.
Technique
The print is a lithograph on newsprint, a common process for caricature in the nineteenth century. Its grey tones come from printing with lithographic ink onto the paper surface. The image measures 26.9 × 19 cm; the sheet, 31.4 × 23.9 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)