← Honoré Daumier

This trunk belongs no one, so it must be ours!

Original title: This trunk belongs no one, so it must be ours!, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

May 6, 1872

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 5/16 × 8 7/8 in. (23.7 × 22.6 cm) Sheet: 11 1/8 × 9 5/8 in. (28.2 × 24.4 cm)

Credit line

Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike most political cartoons of those weeks, Honoré Daumier's 1872 lithograph does not put a single person in the spotlight but an unclaimed box. Three figures in historical dress stand around the container labelled 'MALLE DE LA FRANCE'. The print appeared on 6 May 1872 in the series 'News of the day' in 'Le Charivari' and exists in the second of two states (Delteil).

Description

A crate sits on the ground, surrounded by three men in old-fashioned attire and hats; one of them carries a sign on his back reading 'SÉDAN'. Clearly legible on the container is 'MALLE DE LA FRANCE'. The figures' postures suggest gestures and exchanges, as if they are negotiating over the find. Faint lines of text are woven into the layout. The entire sheet remains black and white, as was usual for lithographs of the period.

Context

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 ended in French defeat and the loss of Alsace and Lorraine. The 'SÉDAN' sign recalls the battle at which Napoleon III was taken prisoner. Daumier published the print in 'Le Charivari', a journal known for political and social criticism. Thus the defeat and the loss of territory become the subject of a bitter yet comic caricature.

Impact

What makes this satire so lasting is the absurd notion that a suitcase is treated like defeated France. The figures appear both comic and threatening, and beneath the fun the political seriousness remains palpable. The clear layout and spare arrangement draw the eye to the crate in the middle and to what it signifies.

Technique

The print was made as a lithograph on newsprint: the drawing is applied to a stone with greasy chalk and then printed. The impression is documented as the second of two states. This very process allowed the rapid and inexpensive reproduction needed for publication in a daily newspaper such as 'Le Charivari'.

AI-generated description text

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